Symbiosis
by krizzlybear
Summary: Flowers want to be pollinated. Bugs want to feed. It's a give and take relationship, like the one that unexpectedly blossoms inside a certain flower shop. ShinoIno. Finally Complete! Hooray!
1. Mission

Disclaimer – I do not own the Naruto franchise or its original story and plot.

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PROLOGUE – Konoha mission #34501A – Attempted Revival of Endangered Species S_eptempunctata_ s_affronica_

Team Leader: Aburame Shino

Team Members: N/A

Mission Objective:

Obtain one male and one female of the species _Septempunctata saffronica_, and successfully rear offspring for population restoration purposes. Secondary objective includes observation of mating and reproductive behaviours, and to write a report for the Konohan library archives for later reference and study.

Mission Background:

_Septempunctata saffronica_, also known as the Konohan yellow ladybug, is an endangered species native to some meadows and grasslands surrounding the village of Konoha. It was once a flourishing species whose unique mating rituals were observed annually, but due to the use of Kimimaro Kaguya's _Sawarabi no Mai,_ or "Dance of the seedling fern" technique during his fight with Sabaku no Gaara, the resulting bone forest wiped out the entire meadow habitat, home to most of the species. It is believed that there are other smaller satellite populations of this species scattered throughout Fire Country. This mission is an annual attempt to restore the population.

Further Background Information:

The Konohan yellow ladybug is a tiny, round beetle. It is metallic yellow in colour, with spots on its outer pair of hardened wings, numbering from zero to seven (seven is the most common occurrence, hence its genus classification of _Septempunctata_). Larval stage lasts for several exoskeletal molting cycles, or instars, until an adult stage is reached. Once an adult, males and females are both at their reproductive peak, and for a short window of time in the spring, will exhibit characteristic behaviours associated with mating and reproduction. This ritual is initiated with the spraying of a pheromone-like substance from the insect's exoskeleton. This pheromone is strong in effect, causing insects of the opposite sex to initiate courtship rituals. These rituals are popularly viewed as drawn out, superfluous and unorthodox, but are required for successful mating. The intricacy of the behaviour is unknown, but it is hypothesized that once both the male and the female spray each other, they are drawn together indefinitely. These pheromones help individuals distinguish themselves from one another, and allow the organisms to be monogamous. The pheromones are so strong, that they are believed to be a potent aphrodisiac.

This information is all that you need to know to start your mission. You were selected because of your skills in this field. Good luck!

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Author's Note

Yay! Shino gets to go bug hunting! He loves that stuff, but will he get more than what he bargained for? Only time (and mainly Chapter 1) will tell!


	2. Bugs

Disclaimer – I do not own the Naruto franchise or its original story and plot. I wish I had a girl like Ino though. That wouldn't be too bad.

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CHAPTER 1

"_Once the adult stage is reached, males and females are at their reproductive peak. Courtship rituals amongst male/female pairs are initiated by the recognition of excreted pheromones. Pheromones of this species are reputed to be strong aphrodisiacs." – Mating Rituals of _S. saffronica

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I walk out of the Hokage's office. I look at the briefing paper in my hand, and can't help but feel the least bit relieved about the mission. It's most likely due to the fact that I had overexerted myself in the last mission with my father, and could use a breather. However, at the same time, I am disappointed once again that I am not able to work with Kiba and the others. I wasn't able to help them when Sasuke was kidnapped, and regret that I wasn't able to help them. Somehow, I feel responsible for not being able to bring Sasuke back. If I had helped, maybe, just maybe, the retrieval mission would have been a success.

I'm in no position to complain, though. Slightly defeated, I gather the cool, collected confidence that people associate me with, and walk down the streets of Konoha towards my house and begin planning out the steps to which I can complete this task.

_Find a Male._

_Find a Female._

Let them…do their thing… 

It seems reasonable enough, but perhaps the hardest part is finding them. I struggle with this part for a bit, until I see something rather peculiar land on my shoulder. It's round. It's yellow. It's spotted.

It's a female yellow ladybug!

I have no time to think. I reach out in an attempt to grab it, when yet _another_ yellow insect flies right at my face.

It flies SMACK right into my forehead, barely missing my rounded shades. It seems as if it was flying at a hundred miles an hour, because I can't think of anything BUT how much it hurts. I fall to the floor, somewhat defeated. I almost believe that it was a male that hit me in defence for the female, and my suspicions are confirmed when the female flies off from my shoulder and flees. The male follows suit.

Wow. These guys are fast. I have no time to scold myself for not wearing my head protector, and proceed to run as fast as I can. I don't remember the last time I ran this fast, because it appears to be that my arms are flaying frantically.

I'm not known for my speed, but rather my cunning and unorthodox fighting style. Yet my deficiency in running form is apparent to all who I pass by, which includes Naruto and Hinata, who in the side of my peripheral vision seemed to be eating together at Iruka's ramen shop. I couldn't see them clearly due to the blur, but I know that they saw me, because I could definitely hear laughter from Naruto in the distance.

I remind myself to punch him the next time we meet.

The bugs are able to shake me off when they turn the corner onto a smaller street. When I get there, I lose sight of them, and I slam my hand onto my fist in rage. "Dammit! I lost them!" Shortly after looking around, I conclude that they might not have gone far. Naruto and Hinata appear behind me and begin to probe me with questions. I honestly can't hear what they're trying to ask me, because after so much running, I begin to struggle to catch my breath. In between pants, I blatantly reply with simple yes and no responses.

"Naruto-kun, you're way too curious about Shino! Weird boy!" Hinata giggles. She begins to blush, only to have Naruto blush back.

"But Hinata-chan! There's gotta be a reason why Aburamushi(1) is running so funny!" Naruto wholeheartedly laughs in response.

I catch my breath, only to lose it again when I realize why they were there in the first place. _They were on a date_. I guess I'm not surprised, Hinata's had a crush on Naruto for the longest time, and I was always there when she would cry on my shoulder whenever she felt bummed out about "a friend of hers who REALLY liked Naruto-kun." It was obvious to everyone except for Naruto. It took a while for me to knock some sense into Naruto about Hinata, and things couldn't have gone any better between them. In response to my slight jealousy creeping up on me, I decide with haste to leave them and continue my search.

"I'm sorry Hinata, I must go and find some ladybugs. I'm on a mission."

With those remarks, I run off again, but this time sans the awkward flailing of arms and legs. I'm not going to let Naruto laugh at me again and get away with it.

Moving through the village streets, several things cross my mind. First is Naruto. He's a great guy and all, but I never had the nerve to tell him that. He's strong, and I guess he deserves to be with Hinata. Despite that, I never really expected him to return those kinds of feelings. Was it really ok for him to do so? We all know the cardinal rule of being ninja, to not let feelings get in the way of your mission and such. Yet I don't understand why all my friends feel the need to get around the rules and do things like, well, dating.

Second is the ominously serenity of the cherry blossoms at this time of the year. Yes, it's spring. Yes, it's the mating season for bugs like the yellow lady. I guess it seems to bleed in with my first point, with all the romance and such. I even heard rumours about Hyuuga Neji and Tenten sneaking off at night to the neighbouring villages to go on their "exploits." I don't really expect that from Neji, because in my eyes, he's a really strong warrior. His heart could _never_ be soft enough to make him go for a girl like Tenten. It's probably not just his heart that's causing all of this. I can't seem to put my finger on it; I don't really understand the complexity of it all. However, I can understand that girls can feel that way, because they are, well, girls. Take Yamanaka Ino and Haruno Sakura for example. They can get all emotional over a guy like Uchiha Sasuke, and develop a girlish rivalry over his potentially unrequited love. But when Sakura and Sasuke got closer, to the extent that Sakura was almost able to single-handedly bring Sasuke back, it spelt bitter defeat for Ino. Ino's a strong girl for letting go of that, but I can definitely tell that it took all of her self-confidence to bounce back from simple things like that. Her cool and confident nature could win over any guy in my opinion.

Third, she's not that bad looking either.

With that last thought, I notice that I had come to a stop in front of the Yamanaka Flower Shop. In the corner of my eye, I see none other than her. I'd go in, but that wouldn't be me.

Unbelievably enough, I'm trying to find a reason to drop in to say hi.

I have to buy some flowers for my mother…um, no.

I'm looking for Shikamaru to confirm a training session…no.

I'm trying to ask her out on a date…hell no.

I'm stopping you from smashing the yellow insects on your counter…WHAT?

Oh crap! The bugs that I have spent all afternoon chasing have found their way into the shop, and are about to meet their timely end by the hand of a blonde ninja. I won't stand for that! I run in, and exclaim to her,

"STOP! I NEED TO BREED THOSE LADYBUGS FOR A MISSION!"

She catches my view on the corner of her eye and hesitates mid-swing, causing her blow to glance the tiny couple, the impact leaving a tiny crater in the middle of the counter.

"IDIOT! You almost killed them!"

"Excuse me?!?!?" She yells back in kind.

"They're Endangered! You can't kill them!"

"They're pests, and are trying to eat my flowers!"

"They're not! Just don't do anything! I don't have time to explain!"

She almost lets out further comments, but this time the two bugs are now in the air, and are flying around the store. I have to catch them before she kills them. I begin to run across the store, chasing them in the same manner that I previously revealed to Naruto and Hinata at the ramen shop. All I could hear is a femininely high-pitched laugh.

Great job Shino, she's definitely impressed.

I recall my embarrassment from earlier this afternoon. Distracted, I fail to notice the "Wet Floor" sign in the middle of the room. My feet lose their grip, but I manage to grab the ladybugs from the air as I fall. Somehow, I trip over a few flowerpots laid out on the floor, and crash over a rack of seed packets. I fly over the rack and land on the floor in a semi-tumbling motion with a bug in each hand. Momentum sustained, I finish by anti-acrobatics by colliding with Ino's legs while letting go of the bugs. She falls on top of me, and the two bugs land on top of us shortly after. They begin to spray something at each other. The impact of my fall is moderate, but somehow Ino and I are both okay…except that our lips are touching.

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Author's notes

(1)Aburamushi means "cockroach" in Japanese. Naruto is making fun of his Aburame Shino's name by calling him a bug. Coincidentally, both names sound very similar phonetically.

lol, harem much? I bet the kikaichu inside him are laughing their insect asses off.

So that's the first chapter, hope you like it! More coming soon!


	3. A Deal

Disclaimer – I do not own the Naruto franchise or its original story and plot. I would like a cup of ramen though.

Font guide:

Italics - passage from book, or flashback 

(#) - Author's note, refer to end of chapter

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CHAPTER 2

"_The species _Septempunctata saffronica _is very territorial; once an individual chooses its prospective mate, the pair will stay within the same area for the duration of the courting process. The courtship ritual is long and drawn-out, usually lasting for weeks. Because of this, it is not unusual for pairs to live in unexpected places during the ritual." _– _Mating Rituals of _S. saffronica

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The only thing in my mind is whether or not she notices.

Her lips are on top of mine. We're practically kissing, but not, because it was accidental contact. And our lips aren't really locked in the sort of motion that I see from couples on the street. Nope. This is just all a big misunderstanding, and I'm sure when Ino recovers from the impact of her fall, she'll definitely understand the situation.

So, why don't I mind staying in this position?

I want to get her off me, but the ladybugs are still on top of Ino, who is on top of me. I don't want them to fly away again, so I decide not to budge. I begin to feel fuzzy. I suddenly feel a sensation of being bathed in some sort of scented oil, and a cool calmness flows throughout my body. My blood rushes faster, to the extent that even the kikaichu under my skin begin to crawl with some sort of sensual agreement. I can't describe it, but I have the urge to press my lips further. It was a blurry feeling, with a sensation that seemed narcotic.

No, it _was _narcotic.

"The pheromones are so strong, that they are believed to be a potent aphrodisiac." – Mission Briefing

So that's what it is. For the sake of preserving any further embarrassment from my fall, I try my best not to give in to these sudden urges. My face tenses up, and by accident, my lower lip brushes past hers, and is snug in between the soft depression of her closed mouth. The sensation is too overwhelming, so I decide to pull away.

She resists. Her lips pursue mine, and the immediate capture transpires like some sort of sensual predator catching its prey. It must be the saffronica-induced spell, because the effects of her kiss itself consume the furthest depths of my mind, and her beautiful face fades away into a sea of black.

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"Hey kiddos, get up."

As I wake, I feel like my eyes have been pulled out, twisted, and reinserted. This isn't really a new feeling, because my eyes are rather sensitive to light as it is. I vaguely remember the voice that spoke just now, so I turn my head to see who it is.

It's Jiraiya, and he seems content to see me and Ino sprawled out on the floor. We're no longer in the suggestive position that I can vividly remember from before, but the giddy sneer on his face indicates that he saw something that he liked.

"Jiraiya-sama?" I ask. "Where am I? What time is it?"

"It's still late in the afternoon," he responds, "and you're in the Yamanaka Flower Shop."

I sit up and examine the room. The store is still in the same mess that my unexpected clumsiness caused. Ino is still asleep. Upon closer inspection, she's actually quite cute when she's asleep. She's lying on her side, with one hand between her head and the floor. Her hair is still tied up to the back, with her front bangs covering most of the left side of her face. She looks absolutely natural. I like that look on girls.

It's kinda like Hinata, when our team meets up for morning training sessions. She doesn't like to admit it, but she's not really a morning person, and as long as the sun isn't up, her hair often takes on a flat shape towards the side of her head, as if she were lying on her side all night. It's cute, but not as cute as what I am currently seeing.

Jiraiya is still looking at me. I turn my attention to him, but I try to keep the sleeping Ino beside me in the corner of my eye.

I respond, "Oh, right. If you're wondering about what happened here, I can explain. I was chasing something around the store, and I collided with Ino, and it seemed to have knocked us out temporarily."

"It wasn't the fall that knocked you out." He says. He begins to really snicker in a perverted manner. "It was the ladybug's scent. I saw the whole thing."

Out of all the villagers in Konoha, Jiraiya is probably the last person that I would want to hear saying those words. Somehow, I feel compelled to ask him something.

"So what exactly did happen?"

His face turns serious. He has a self-examined look, as if contemplating whether or not he should tell me something that could potentially corrupt my view of male/female relations, whatever that may be.

"S-E-C-R-E-T!" Jiraiya responds in a suddenly playful manner. "You seriously don't remember? It was an enjoyable sight, an encounter worthy of being an inspiration to my writing. If you want to remember, read my next work! Don't worry about it, ne! If I wrote it right now, it would probably be rated T. Ah, forget it; just wait until it's out in stores. I've said too much, now I'm just trailing off enjoyably, tee hee hee!"

_Writing?_ I am unable to comprehend his enigmatic words. Somehow, I don't want to.

Jiraiya leaves me alone to tend to Ino, who is still sound asleep. He lets out a sinister chuckle on the way out, and considering his influence on Naruto, I suddenly fear for Hinata's well being.

As it is, the store is still a mess, so I figure I'll clean up before Ino wakes up again. She's on top of a significant amount of clutter, so I try my best to clean around her. I put all the racks back into their upright positions, move the shattered pots to the storeroom, and sweep dirt from spilled plants outside of the store. I'm sure Ino's dad would yell at her for the type of job that I'm doing, but I can't help being inexperienced in store management. I'm a bug-user, not a florist.

As I walk around the store, inspecting the arrangements to ensure that I didn't miss a single spot, I begin to realize the large variety of different flora. It would make a wonderful habitat for any insect. I regain my hopes that the yellow ladybugs are still in the store. They might be somewhere around here, and the store provides a very suitable place for procreation.

I pass a small aisle of non-descript primula to my left, and an array of differently hued roses on my right, in smaller numbers.

"Hm.," I say to myself. "These must be more popular…"

Of course roses are more popular. They're the default go-to flower for one-shot romance and temporary love. Any girl can understand what it means to be given a half-dozen or two. They're so cliché, I bet that even Ino herself would be disgusted by any man who would think of a quick fix like them.

I remember her telling me one time during a trip to the Sea Country that each flower tells its own story, and has its own meaning and message when given to another person.

_"Listen up, Shino." She said. "These blue plants here? These are more than just lilies. They're hyacinths. But above all, they're blue. The colour and species of plant is important for sending the right message! These here, represent 'patient love', the kind that expresses the sender's willingness to wait for his or her unrequited love to be returned. When Sasuke left our village, Sakura would come to my shop every day to look around for something to put on her windowsill out of homage to her love of Sasuke. I told her to tend to some blue hyacinths that I kept in my store, and maybe one day she'll be able to get Sasuke back. Here you go, maybe one day, you'll be patient enough to love someone the way Sakura does."_

Something struck me funny at that time, but for that moment I looked at her temporarily as more than just a kunoichi. She definitely has a way with words.

"She's a different girl, with quite a contrasting viewpoint than mine…" I mutter out loud while turning my attention to a batch of yellow nasturtium (1), the store's specialty item, and site of two similarly coloured insects, moving about agreeably, but innocently. "In here, she sees beauty and poetry and symbolism. I see habitats for some of the most fascinating creatures on this planet. These ladybugs, for example, chose this spot because of the reaction of their visual receptors to the coloration of the petals. Their courting behaviour is a chemical reaction of their pheromones to the oils these flowers produce. We are part of two different worlds, but are they really that different?"

"As a matter of fact," Ino replied, appearing behind me, and apparently catching every word of my soliloquy, "Those flowers get their symbolism from the very bugs courting on their petals. The nasturtium expresses one's first feelings of love for the recipient. It sends a message declaring that the recipient is the sender's first and only love. This symbolism derived from a common fact in horticulture that Konohan yellow ladybugs always go to these flowers first, when they begin to court."

All of a sudden, I feel the need to pick up some of these flowers and give it to her. She definitely has a way with words.

"I'm sorry for interrupting you," she says, pointing at the male and female, "but I must apologize for overreacting to these things. When they're flying around, they really give me the creeps. I say things I don't mean. I must have offended you by saying they're gross or something. I know for a fact that they're useful for the plants here."

"You're right," I said, "bugs like these are essential to the survival of many floral species due to their ability to pollinate other flowers over long distances."

"I understand. But I don't really understand how I ended up waking up on the floor of my store. Perhaps you can explain? I really don't remember what happened."

Thank goodness. She doesn't seem to remember what happened with the kiss, or anything caused by the pheromone effects.

I walk her out of the store, as she locks the door from the outside for the rest of the day.

"Sure," I say, "but do me a favour for now. Can you let them stay in there for a little while longer, and you know…not kill them?"

"Of course," she says, "only if you can help me not be afraid of insects."

"It's not too hard. You just have to know more about them."

"Good. I'm glad."

With that notion, I wave goodbye to her, and walk towards home with the comfort knowing that my two subjects would be okay. Thinking about our new little arrangement, my blood starts to warm up the tiniest bit. The sensation feels almost narcotic.

No. It's _not_ narcotic.

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Author's notes

(1) A nasturtium is a very bright and vibrant flower known for producing oil similar to watercress.

YAY! Second chapter done. I'm glad to see that the initial reactions are quite positive. I apologize for the cliffhanger the last time, but I promise to keep all my chapters wrapped up nicely.

Stay tuned for new chapters, and the beginning of a beautiful "friendship".

(Oh yeah, Jiraiya, wtf? You'll see, lol)


	4. Sexy Big Sister

Disclaimer – I do not own the Naruto franchise or its original story and plot. But we'll see about that…goes off to do some telemarketing scheme for buying-out-Naruto-franchise money

Pre-note: I've decided to set a time for this series of events. I'm going to try to fit it in between Naruto I and II, before they become Jonin. I'm not too familiar with the plot of Naruto II, so I consulted with wikipedia regarding the events that take place in between.

I feel that pre-Jonin is a good time to fit this, because the village has the most hope for bringing Sasuke back, and Sai isn't there yet to get in the way of Ino and Shino's interesting relationship. Well, enjoy!

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"_Although _Septempunctata saffronica_ is a social species, there are behavioural differences based on the gender with which an individual is communicating. A male yellow ladybug will show two polar opposite behaviours towards a prospective female alone compared to other males alone, or even in groups containing males and females." – Mating Rituals of _S. saffronica

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I get up from bed later than usual today. Today is a short training day for Team Kurenai, in preparation for the Jonin Exams. I am to meet up with Kiba and Hinata at 12pm.

This will be my first time taking them, and I don't intend on failing. If not for Kankuro's forfeit causing me to fail the Chunin exams, I'd probably be a Jonin now. I do not let that fact get to me, because I'm very confident in my skills, and in my Kikaichu.

I enter the kitchen, and my parents seem to have already left. After eating some fruit and a sandwich, I decide that I will stop by the shop to check on the _saffronica_. I could admit that I have ulterior motives to my visit, but it's nothing more than possibly a quick greeting to the Yamanaka girl before I start training again. I'm rather intrigued that she doesn't mention anything about the "fall". I digress, however, and I'm already late. It's 11:45, and the distance from my house to the training grounds is insufferable when one just gets out of bed.

Out of my house, I get onto the street and begin walking to the flower shop. Thankfully, it's en route to the training grounds, so I can squeeze in a small amount of time before I meet up with the others. I'm not sure whether or not I should talk to the others about what happened yesterday.

I'm not one to really open up to them, since it's always Hinata who depends on me for being an open ear to her girly problems. She's a great friend to have, and I definitely trust her to keep a secret. Kiba on the other hand, will probably laugh at me about this sort of situation. His dog, Akamaru, will also follow suit. But I know his weak spots, especially those for a certain white-eyed Hyuuga girl. He's too ashamed to admit to anything, but as one of his closest friends, I can definitely pick up on the subtleties. It makes for good blackmail in any case.

Considering the possibilities, it's probably best that I tell neither of them about my goings-on for now.

A few minutes pass, and I'm outside the door of the Yamanaka Flower Shop. There's a sign on the door, "Open Weekdays 9am-9pm." I reach out for the door with a bit of hesitation, and my mind is in "try to think of a way of saying hi without sounding like I'm trying too hard" mode. My hand makes contact with the door. Dammit, this shouldn't be too hard. It's only Ino. Besides, I'm just visiting the, well, _two_. I should probably give them names, but now's not the time, I gotta push the door to get in and suddenly get back into that difficult place. At that moment, I realize it's impossible, it's like my world comes to a complete halt, and I can't make my way through.

The sign on the door says, "pull".

Right. I knew that. Thankfully nobody outside notices me, and casually, I pull on the handle to make my way in. The shop seems empty. The counter with the cash register on it is unattended. Good. Nobody saw me. I'm not usually this clumsy, but lately, it's been acting up more often than I'd like. It doesn't bother me, what I'm here for is to check up on the ladybugs.

I look around, and I see an older man tending to a pot of dandelions by the corner. He looks young, but the blanched roots of his hair speak of his years of experience. I reason that he's Ino's father, so I approach him with a bit of caution.

"Excuse me, are you by any chance, Ino's father?"

The man looks back. His hair is a dirtied hue of blonde, not as neat and groomed like Ino's, but long enough to notice a hereditary resemblance to conclude his paternal association.

"Yes, I am," he says with a calm voice, "but if you're looking for her, today's her day off. She's with her teammates Choji and Shikamaru for their upcoming Jonin exam. You must be Shino. She told me about the new "residents". They're over there by the gardenias. You can count on Ino to look after them. But for today, if you need anything, just let me know."

"Thanks. I'll be on my way then."

I can't say that I'm disappointed that she's not here, but the sight of the two yellow Konohans chasing each other through the floral arrangements more than makes up for it. The sooner I complete this mission, the more time for me to train for the Jonin test. I take a few notes about today's courtship, and head on out towards the training grounds. It's 11:54; I think I'll make it in time.

Too bad I didn't see her though, I really don't see the harm in saying a quick hi and good luck to her training. Knowing that she's taking her exam too, I can think of different topics to discuss while I'm at the shop tending to the _saffronica_. Weapon selection. Jutsu styles. Clan techniques. These things fill my mind with some sort of hope that maybe I could spark some civilized conversation without me looking any bit foolish.

But is she that type of girl to talk so seriously about her shinobi lifestyle? She's definitely one of the strongest kunoichi in our graduating class, perhaps as strong as Hinata. From watching her battle with Sakura during the first Chunin exam, I had the impression that she was definitely serious about striving to be the best kunoichi, so there is hope in that sort of common ground.

I mean, I don't mean that _I _want to be the strongest _kunoichi _(1)too, but rather, the strongest bug-user. I'll take the risk of pushing towards that goal, but it seems for the moment that it is impossible to so.

The sign on the door says, "pull".

---

I arrive at the designated meeting point. It's a lesser-known outdoor training facility constructed long before I was born, probably during the times of my dad's generation. It's a bit worn out, and thanks to the sound invasion a long while back, it looks a lot older than it really is. I breathe in the air of spring. It reeks of dog urine. Kiba and Akamaru are nearby. I'm embarrassed to admit my familiarity with such scents, but being around Kiba for as long as I can remember enables those sorts of acquired immunities.

He's always early for training, since it coincides with Akamaru's morning walk. Hinata is usually with them, and is genuinely affectionate towards Akamaru. That means I'm always the last one there. I never arrive too late, but unlike people like Kakashi-sensei, my arrival is usually fashionable and comes with justifiable reasons.

"_I was chasing my shadow." Kakashi said. The trio fell in unison upon hearing yet another one of their sensei's pathetic remarks._

It's not that I don't take him seriously, he's a very strong Sharingan user, and I respect his abilities. It's just the quirkiness that bothers me somehow. The kind that, in a way, rivals even Gai-sensei. It's no wonder when they're around each other, there's always some sort of waterfall-sparkling-in-the-background-while-Gai-declares-his-springtime-of-youth jutsu involved. It's so embarrassing. Of all the rookie-nine leaders, only Kurenai-sensei and Asuma-sensei act normally. As such, their pupils are also the most normal.

Ino's the first normal girl that comes to mind.

I put down my bag, and head towards Kiba and Hinata. I give a brief hello for the morning, which is routine for me. I listen to Kiba and Hinata's lunchtime banter, which reminds me of the mindless talk shows that mom always has on in the background while folding laundry. I keep my distance, trying to avoid any sort of suspicion.

Kurenai-sensei arrives, and is a bit perkier than usual. If the glare of the afternoon sun didn't get in the way, I could have sworn she was slightly blushing.

Slightly distracted by something else, she just tells us to do our routine exercises. This means a 5-kilometre run, followed by personal training regimens that suit our abilities.

Shouldn't be too hard. I'm usually the one who finishes the run first. The trick is to occupy your thoughts while you let the time needlessly pass by. This time around, I should finish relatively quickly, considering there's a lot of new things to think about.

_Making sure the kikaichu are fed._

I develop a brisk pace jogging. Despite being a poor sprinter, my stamina isn't too bad.

_The saffronica._

At 1 km, I pass the flower shop again. I can't distract myself, I need to keep jogging, even if it means leaving Kiba and Hinata way behind in my tracks.

_Figuring out ways to speed up the courting process._

At 2 km, I pass a bridge where Naruto and Sakura usually hang out before Kakashi is routinely late. Of course, they're there, sans Kakashi. Poor Naruto and Sakura.

_Getting stronger for the Jonin Exam._

At 3 km, I pass the ramen shop. Team Gai is having lunch. Quite a showcase of "the springtime of youth."

_My growing interest in Ino._

At 4 km, I'm definitely distracted by my previous train of thought and slow down. I decide to think of other things.

_Figuring out ways to speed up the courting process._

5 km. Turns out, the more I think, the faster time goes, and the faster I jog. I'm back at the training grounds, and Kurenai-sensei is contently waiting for our return. She's lying down on the grass looking at clouds. She turns around and sees me arrive.

"You're back sooner than I expected. Good." She compliments.

A brief moment of contemplation passes by, and the only thing I can respond is a short "thanks." I'm not really that good with compliments, so I usually end up keeping my mouth shut. I appreciate the thought though.

"Why don't you sit down and wait for the others?" She offers.

"Sure."

I casually sit down at a spot beside Kurenai-sensei, but not too close. There's a bit of an awkward silence. I don't usually have a lot of these alone moments with Kurenai, and usually, she'll break the silence by asking about my training. She doesn't show as much interest in Kiba or me as she does Hinata, since it's in our best interests that Hinata be a suitable heiress to the Hyuuga lineage.

Nonetheless, I simply join her cloud watching. It's more boring than Shikamaru makes it out to be. However, it does provide the calmness that lets me put away all the things in my head that came up during my jog. There are moments when you're free to avoid the big issues.

"Seems like you have something on your mind." She remarks.

Then again, there are moments where you aren't.

"No. It's nothing," I reply, in the best stoic tone of voice that I can muster at the moment.

"Really, there's something. I can see it in your eyes," She replies with a wink.

"I'm wearing sunglasses. How's that even possible?" I question.

"You can't be a team leader and not notice the subtle details about your students, you know."

She certainly has a point. She has a way of noticing things. However, she also has a way of seeing things that aren't really there. So I test her if she's actually onto me.

"How so?" I question.

"Simple," Kurenai-sensei says, "You finished your jog _way too_ early for nothing to be on your mind. That's the way you are. Now tell me, what's bothering you?"

As expected from the great genjutsu specialist. There's a reason why she's capable of training us for reconnaissance. Somehow, she can see things from miles away.

"Perhaps _you_ can tell _me_." I respond nonchalantly. I'm enjoying tickling Kurenai-sensei's curiosity, maybe a little too much.

"You're at that age, Shino," She decides, "where you're beginning to see things a different way. Gai-sensei would call it the 'springtime of youth.' It's natural for people your age. You begin to notice what, or more importantly, _who_, makes you aware of yourself."

"Heh," I scoff, "impressive."

There's a bit of a silence between the two of us. I turn my head away from her and stare at the sky defiantly. I tried to look cool and mysterious, but the sudden disappearance of all the clouds utterly ruined the moment.

"Shino," she explains, now smiling with the same giddiness from earlier, "girls are a complicated species. Be glad you have a sexy big sister to confide in. You can't rely on your mysteriousness and stoic nature alone to attract girls. You have to push their buttons the right way. I'll teach you something now, and more things in the future, but you have to do me a favour in return."

I guess I can trust her. She knows what she's talking about, aside from the disturbing "sexy big sister" part. It's not like I can turn back and pretend this conversation didn't happen.

"Ok." I respond, trying not to grin more than I need to, just enough to show agreement.

"So," she says, all of a sudden dropping her voice to a much more alluring tone, "do you really want to know the secret of getting girls to _want you_?"

Along with her seductive voice, she's now using some sort of illusion to create a sensual background, like in harem anime, where there's sexy saxophone music, a desperate twinkle in her eyes, and for some reason the camera slow pans down towards her ample chest.

I'm getting very hot and bothered. She's good at genjutsu, but this is just _ridiculous._ I can't resist her regardless, so I respond with a heavily sighed "yes…"

"Do you want to say the words that drive a girl _wild…_" she asks, with a major moaning emphasis on 'wild'.

"_Hell yes."_

"Then what _you _do…" she explains,

"…is you approach her like _this.._" she demonstrates,

_uh huh…_

"…and move your head towards her like _this…_"

_yeah…_

"…and you begin to _talk softly into her ear like this…_"

_holy crap…_

"…and you say…"

_oh my god, tell me what I want to hear…_

"…_Become mine. I'll rock you senseless_…" _(2)_

HUH?!? I immediately snap out of her softcore genjutsu technique. How perverted! There's no way a girl would buy into that!

She starts to laugh hysterically. Sweat drips from the side of my head. I wipe off the beads by brushing my face across my collar.

"Now _that_ was something, ne!" She laughs, "man, I really needed to get that out of my system!"

"_OUT OF YOUR SYSTEM?!_" I rage. "WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU TRYING TO DO!??!"

"I was just teasing you, Shino-_kun_," she innocently replies, "but don't worry. I'll help you out starting tomorrow. Just continue your training for today when Kiba and Hinata arrive."

There's a bit of a problem with that remark. I let out an even deeper sigh of humiliation as I point over Kurenai-_hentai's_ shoulder. She turns around and lets out a similar sigh.

Kiba is staring blankly, jaw dropped, and Hinata is twiddling her fingers violently, with the darkest hue of red on her face.

---

Author's Notes

(1) Just in case, for those of you who don't know, kunoichi is the term for a female ninja. Shino lies, instead of wanting to be the love interest of Ino, he _really _wants to be a cross-dressing shinobi, but is _obviously_ in denial :D

(2) This quote is from episode 4 of _Sumomo mo momo mo. _I really suggest you guys watch it. It's the funniest thing in the world.

LOL! don't ask me what I was on when I wrote the Kurenai dialogue. I'm very proud of the Kurenai that I made, it's a bit OOC, but she really does like being the "sexy big sister", so I went with it. Maybe there's a little more "sexy" than "sister", but I don't mind! XD Stay tuned for another chapter! R&R while you wait!


	5. Icha Icha

Disclaimer – I do not own the Naruto franchise or its original story and plot. I own a Shonen Jump that was included in my Anime North '05 package. No Naruto in it though :(

Notes – pairings in this chapter: Shino/Ino, Asuma/Kurenai, Gai/Icha Icha Paradise (lol)

---

"_Courting rituals are mutually exclusive. When a male/female pair selects each other as potential mates, their courting is unimpeded by other members of the same species. In fact, it has been confirmed that multiple pairs in the same vicinity during courtship will often cooperate, increasing the potential reproductive success of each individual by at least 400 percent." – Mating Rituals of _S. saffronica

---

I immediately question my decision to seek advice from Kurenai-sensei. It's like I'm crossing a fine line that won't let me cross back. I suddenly feel like the most humiliated shinobi in all of Fire Country.

I try to shrug off my embarrassment, continuing on with my self-training without mentioning a word to Kiba and the others. As I leave, they still have those looks on their faces from before.

While training, I begin to notice that my skills are improving slowly and steadily. As a bug-user, I'm required to release chakra in small, even doses throughout my body, so that the kikaichu can feed. Each time one attempts to increase the number of bugs that he or she can host, it requires an increasingly greater amount of chakra release. As a result, bug-users tend to have unrivalled chakra control. As of today, my kikaichu limit increases a little bit further. I'm relieved that I'm not slowing down any time soon.

I don't want to use a gourd to hold my bugs like that Gaara kid does with his sand. Those things look rather troublesome to carry around all the time. Determined not to head down this path, I continue doing exercises in chakra control for the rest of the afternoon.

Training ends earlier for me as predicted, since I end up consuming most of my chakra. I have to leave a little bit remaining for the kikaichu to feed on for the rest of the day. I'm fatigued from trying to control so much chakra at once, and it will only get worse when I try to release chakra later on to the increased number of kikaichu under my skin. It's a tough job, but the power they provide is spectacular.

I begin to walk home, leaving Kiba and Hinata at the training grounds, still sparing with each other. Even though it's only training, I notice the intensity of their battle. The two of them have shown such great improvement, easily surpassing me in overall skill.

In a way, I'm jealous. Since the first Chunin exam we took together, it was me who impressed the others with convincing wins in the preliminary match. Even fighting Kankuro after the sound invasion, despite being poisoned, at least _his defeat_ was guaranteed thanks to the reconnaissance abilities of my bugs.

I feel embarrassed that they're able to catch up to me so easily. It's like hitting puberty early. Being the tallest kid in class is noteworthy only for a while, until the others start hitting growth spurts as well. Afterwards, the heights of all the students are practically the same, and not a single person seems to stand out anymore.

It's been awhile; I could definitely use another growth spurt.

Thankfully, there's always Kurenai-sensei. She's always pushing my limits, and I'm glad she's there to push us three to do our best. However, she seems to give the worst dating advice. By not being able to speak to anyone else about the matter, by default she also gives the _best _dating advice.

This alone is enough for me to accept her deal.

"Kurenai-sensei," I call out to her before I head back home on my own, "I'll accept your help. I'll do anything you say."

"Ok!" she proclaims with victorious cheer, "We'll try our best, Shino-kun! Just make sure you're available for me whenever I need a favour; I'll help you out with your girl trouble in return!"

With that comment, she turned back towards the others. It sounds like she's using me for some twisted personal scheme, but I trust her intentions. I turn around to walk home.

"OH! And by the way!" She says, "Make sure you're always presentable! You have to be ready at any time to go on a blind date!"

Oddly enough, this doesn't surprise me. I want Ino to notice me, yet I don't know how. Like the shinobi who wants to break a stone, he must learn to break wood. Maybe Kurenai-sensei is assigning me to some sort of date training. It's logical, and it might just work.

I mean, how bad could it be?

She adds, "don't worry! As long as I don't accidentally set you up with your secret person of interest, it should be fine! See you tomorrow!"

Her words are reassuring. I sense a little bit of hope rising within; I suddenly feel like visiting my "secret person of interest."

---

"Irashiai!" Ino-chan exclaims. "Welcome again, Shino-kun!"

"Ah. Good morning Ino-chan. How are you today?"

"I'm great as usual! I'm beginning to like the little guys more and more each day!"

"That's good. I'll go take a look at them if that's alright with you."

"Sure! They're doin' really well, ne!"

I look around for them. It's been like this for the past week. Each day, they get closer and closer towards courtship success. I can feel the same regarding Ino. She always seems to perk up a bit whenever I stop by each morning. We'd have the same conversational greetings, but after my routine check-up with the _saffronica_, I'd feel comfortable enough to talk to her.

Recently, she's been more comfortable as well, to the extent that she doesn't even seem to mention anything from the first day the bugs settled in. Maybe it's a good time to ask her on a date? Since that's probably the appropriate thing to do when you want to express interest in someone? It makes plenty of sense, but I question my readiness for such an endeavour.

Worst of all, I haven't done any "dating training" yet. Kurenai-sensei hasn't approached me at all about the matter since she gave that talk a while back. Some help she is…

I've been waiting long enough. I have the perfect excuse to speak to her and ask her out. I calmly approach the counter after checking up on the _saffronica_. I gather up all my breath, and ignore all negative notions that this is a bad idea.

"Um…I-Ino," I blurt out without thinking, "I-I uh j-ust wanted to s-say thanks for um, well, k-k-keeping the bugs here…"

Shit. All I have to do now is twiddle my index fingers together, and all of a sudden I'd be talking like Hinata.

'_Snap out of it!' _I think to myself. I've survived fatal situations in combat; I'm sure that I'd socially survive against a fellow shinobi.

"Ahem," I clear my throat, "what I meant to say was, I'd like to make it up to you by treating you to lunch or dinner later today."

She touches her cheek with her index finger as she quietly thinks for a moment. The brief silence is absolutely agonizing.

"It's a kind offer," Ino replies, "and I'd happily accept…"

_YES!_ _She's practically saying yes! But…_

"…But I'm busy today. I have work until 6, and then I have a date tonight. Maybe next week, ne?"

"Uh, sure," I respond, "I'm free anytime."

I didn't hear what I think I heard, did I? She has a _date_ today? That probably means she's already the object of interest of someone else! This just can't be! I didn't even get a chance to start liking her seriously, and she's already rejected me! This pretty much sucks. I'm rather embarrassed now, and I excuse myself afterwards, saying that I have to go and train. I try to leave as quickly as possible without looking defeated.

I remember to _pull _the door open on the way out.

---

Of course, I'm not training as I said to Ino. It was just an excuse to get out of there. After walking around thinking about what I just did back there, I end up sitting down at a tree by a bridge overlooking the main river running through Konoha. I notice that Sakura and Naruto are there, probably waiting for Kakashi to show up. I pass by inconspicuously; I'm in no mood to talk to them, or anyone for that matter.

The only thing I can think about right now is that she's already taken.

Dammit! Why did she not tell me earlier? I could have saved myself from embarrassment. Her alluringly cheerful nature does nothing but lead me on further and further until I just go crazy enough to ask a closet-nympho like Kurenai-sensei for girl advice. Dammit, I should have just followed her advice, and wait until she was ready to guide me through intricacies like this.

I can't find a good place to sit down and relax. The sun is almost gone, and the crimson sky embraces Konoha with unforgiving warmth. I still can't stop thinking about her. She's definitely getting to me more than expected. Maybe I do like her. Maybe I should just stop before I'm led on further. Mating season is almost over; maybe I can just stop going to the flower shop, and report the mission as a failure.

Maybe I can seek further advice from Kurenai-sensei, who seems to be running towards me with a look of worry on her face.

"Shino-kun! I've been looking all over for you! I found you a date!"

"Huh?" I ask with a confused tone of voice, "what do you mean, Kurenai-sensei?"

"Yeah!" she pants, as she stops in front of me, "get that look of disappointment off your face, and get ready! Your date is in 10 minutes!"

Talk about last-minute. I don't think I have a choice, because without waiting for my response, she grabs me by my elbow, and pulls me towards the dumpling shop across the street from where I'm sitting.

Could things get any worse?

---

"I'm sorry Shino-kun for making this seem last-minute." Kurenai-sensei says.

"Last-minute?" I respond, sitting down at a small table at the restaurant, Kurenai sitting beside me. That's an understatement."

"Yeah, I know, Shino-kun. But trust me! Your date will be here soon! Just remember to be yourself, and I'll be happy to help you out if you're in trouble!"

I feel reassured somewhat, but the confusion of it all is more troublesome than I can handle. I don't know what Kurenai-sensei means by being 'helping out' if the date goes downhill. Is she planning to supervise our date or something? That's absurd, I'm not a kid anymore, and I don't think my date would appreciate it either.

Regardless, It might help me with not needlessly obsessing over Ino.

"Get ready," she says, as she looks in the direction of the entrance to the dumpling shop. The look of anticipation on her face is more apparent than mine. It concerns me.

"Um, by the way, Kurenai-sensei," I casually mention, "Why are you still here anyways?"

"Oh, I didn't tell you yet?" she responds, "This is a _double-date_."

"WHAT?!" I yell, almost loud enough to attract all the patrons inside the restaurant.

"SHH!" She scolds sharply, "They're here!"

I flinch from her remark. Slightly subdued, I watch the door open.

As the two walk through the door, I shift my sunglasses and rub my eyes from underneath. I can't believe what I'm seeing.

It's Asuma, and Ino is with him.

---

All four of us are sitting at the table quietly, and Kurenai-sensei and Asuma-sensei are staring contently into each other's eyes. I can't help but feel for Ino, who's quivering beside Asuma-sensei, probably because she's been 'found out.' I can't blame her. She's on a blind date with someone who she earlier rejected because she had to go to this said date.

The following thought hits home. _I'm on a date with Ino._

Sitting across from me is this girl, hair tied back like normal, but the way she has those bangs hanging over her face is a lot more attractive under the dim lighting of the restaurant. She's wearing her usual purple shinobi ensemble, but instead, she's using fishnet-type wrappings around her arms. It's sleek and sexy, and it really brings out her figure.

The waiter walks up to our table and hands the menus. I immediately hide myself beside my own menu and protest to Kurenai-sensei.

"Why are Asuma-sensei and Ino-chan here?" I whisper behind my menu, "Why are THEY our dates?"

She lowers her voce and responds, "I asked Asuma-san out for some dumplings, and he said yes. He's actually quite shy about tonight, so I convinced him that he could invite Ino for a double date with you so he wouldn't be alone. He's a really sweet guy. If you tell anyone about tonight, I will tell Kiba and Hinata about you and Ino going out on a date! HA! So be nice to Ino, and have fun! Dinner's on us senseis tonight!"

A wise shinobi knows when he's losing and when to give up. For me, this is perhaps the worst defeat that I've ever conceded. Likewise, I can see over my menu just enough to notice Ino also hiding behind her menu, and silently arguing with Asuma-sensei. Give him hell, Ino. The both of us got screwed tonight.

After brief discussion and agreement amongst the four of us, Kurenai-sensei gives our orders to the waiter. He takes my makeshift screen away along with the other menus. While waiting for our food to arrive, the proceeding dialogue is mostly amongst Kurenai-sensei and Asuma-sensei. Ino elects not to speak except when responding to questions asked by Kurenai-sensei and Asuma-sensei. I do the same, except I leave out further elaboration, and favour simple one-word answers like 'yes,' 'no,' and 'I'm not sure.'

I appear nonchalant to the others; inside I'm dying for some food. This date has been all Kurenai-sensei and Asuma-sensei. I haven't gotten any opportunities to talk to Ino tonight, and at the rate we're going, I probably won't talk to her at all. Could this be any worse?

Out of nowhere, I hear a friendly "Yo." It's Kakashi-sensei. Asuma-sensei and Kurenai-sensei look slightly disturbed by his experience. Kurenai-sensei is the first to speak.

"K-K-Kakashi! What are you doing here?" she asks, laughing weakly afterwards.

"Nothing much," Kakashi-sensei responds, "Just taking my students out for some dumplings. But of course, I'm more interested in asking _you_ the same question."

"This isn't what you think it is, Kakashi-san!" Asuma-sensei interjects. "We're just doing the same as you, taking our students out for some dumplings!"

"Then why aren't they all here?" Kakashi responds, "It's just Shino-kun and Ino-kun."

You can't see much of his facial expressions behind his covering, but his raised eyebrows clearly indicate that he's smiling.

"um…um…" Kurenai breaks the silence, "We're accompanying them. They're on a date!"

Ino's eyes widen so much she begins to scare me. She's totally freaking out.

"WAIT A SECOND!" Ino protests, "WE'RE SUPPOSED TO BE ON A DOUBLE-"

I hear a loud bump from under the table.

"-ITTAI!!" Ino yelps, "Dammit Asuma-sensei, what was that for?"

"Oh, sorry Ino!" Asuma-sensei responds innocently, "I was trying to uncross my legs, but I seem to have hit yours by accident!" He laughs even more uncomfortably than Kurenai-sensei.

Poor Ino. In some way, I'm concerned for her potential bruise. Asuma is quite strong, from what I recall. As much as I resent his accusations, I'm too afraid of him to protest.

Meanwhile, Kakashi is smiling adamantly at our table, probably a little too much.

Suddenly, I sense intent to harm. It's coming from somewhere that I can't determine. Everyone's too distracted to notice, and I'm not fast enough to warn everyone.

"_DYNAMIC ENTRY!!!"_

A flying kick to Kakashi's face knocks him to the ground, orange book flying into the air from his hand onto Gai-sensei's. Gai-sensei then lands on his feet, orange book in his hand.

"YOSH! I've gotten my hands on Kakashi's source of youthful energy! It is a clear victory for Maito Gai's now-exploding youth!"

Maito Gai? More like mighty gay. He observes the cover of the orange book. The glossy finish of the cover indicates that it's new.

"Sugoi! So Kakashi enjoys the _Icha Icha Paradise_ series! And he has the exploding youth to buy the newest edition with extra scenes! I wonder what it's like!"

With Kakashi subdued on the floor under Gai-sensei's boot, he begins to read a passage out loud.

"_The attendant of the flower store protested loudly at the wild actions of her patron. The entomologist ignored her and continued to chase his target: a rare beetle. He frantically ran back and forth in a ludicrous fashion: it didn't disturb the attendant at all. As she stared at the absurd display of insectophilia, she couldn't help but feel a shiver down her spine. She wanted him, and shortly her wish would be granted._

_He clumsily fell over a rack of seed packets, and with sustained momentum, collided with the florist. Their lips brushed with each other, and with a great burst of passion, she tried to press herself at him, but the impact made them collapse into a suggestive position on the floor. The florist, straddled on top, let go of all her inhibitions and began to lean down on him and kiss him furiously. Her passionate moans echoed loudly as her body bore down tight against his on the floor of the shop. The intense heat of the moment defied coldness of the tiles on which they lay…"_

It sounds too familiar.

_A florist. An "entomologist" chasing a bug. A collision. A kiss._ Jiraiya, you bastard!

The waiter arrives at our table with a medium-sized basket full of steamed dumplings. "Here's your food," he says with a smirk on his face, "oh, would you like to order more? Seems like you have more company."

"No thanks," I say, "I think I just lost my appetite."

---

Author's Notes

Wow, that was a long one! I'm sorry for the slight delay, but I've been busy with school. Of course, expect the updates to be only weekly instead of "4 chapters in 5 days", lol. R&R!!!


	6. Edenhall

Disclaimer – I do not own the Naruto franchise or its original story and plot.

Pairings – ShinIno, slightly cracked AsuKure

Caution – Crossovers with the anime "Bartender."

---

"_The Konohan Yellow Ladybug is a persistent species. Despite the lengthy duration of courtship rituals, each individual is reluctant to give up. As a result, success rates are one of the highest amongst all insects" - Mating Rituals of _S. saffronica

---

I lift a stick of dango by the end, and forcefully jostle the edible parts into my mouth. At this point, however, I don't care about anything but getting the hell out of here. I'm sure that Ino's probably noticed the unspeakable familiarity of Gai-sensei's dramatic reading, and from the look on her face, she wants out as well.

Gai and Kakashi-sensei are gone, and it's just the four of us again: Ino across from me, Asuma-sensei to her left, and Kurenai-sensei to my right. I try to ignore the "happy couple" beside me, and focus on filling my stomach. Ino stares at her skewer with great concentration, and then gingerly nibbles off a piece.

This is the first time watching her eat, and she looks like a rabbit when she's feasting on those dumplings. She's so cute; she could nibble on me any day. I inwardly melt at the thought of being covered in rice paste and baked with soy sauce. It's the most unusual thought that has come to my mind in ages, but somehow I don't mind.

In between bites, Ino stares at Kurenai and Asuma together, and sighs. Is she the type who's looking for a relationship like that? Is she disappointed for being stuck on a double date with a keeps-to-himself guy like me? Think, Shino, think! I should make some sort of move. I should say something reassuring to Ino, but it's really hard with "sexy big sister" right beside me.

_Become mine. I'll rock you senseless._

Um, no. I'd probably be slapped senseless by Ino if I said that. Nobody in his or her right mind could possibly get away with that. But then again, who could?

"Quiet down, Kurenai!" Asuma blurts out embarrassingly. "Don't say that kind of thing in front of the others!" He blushes furiously.

Asuma. Blushing furiously. I've just lost my appetite.

So has Ino, apparently. The look on her face suggests she had heard each word coming out of Kurenai-sensei's mouth. She politely excuses herself from the table, stands up, and leaves.

She tugs on my arm briefly, her aquamarine eyes signalling me to follow suit.

---

If you walk through the back streets of Konoha, you'll see an entire block of dango stores, ramen huts, and to a certain extent, bars. One such bar that you might pass by without any notice is called _Edenhall_. It is an inconspicuous shop, blooming quietly in this seemingly chaotic district.

As I continue following Ino across the street from the dango store, we stumble upon this very bar, protected by an apparently simple door, marked only with a nameplate, elegantly titled "Edenhall."

"Go in?" I ask, turning towards Ino.

She nods, and grabs the door handle. She groans as she labouredly opens the door.

"It's unusually heavy," She notes. I nod in belief.

We step inside into the bar. It's small and innocent enough, but unlike other speakeasies in the district, this place has a clean, wholesome feel to it. Behind the counter stands a man of pleasant stature and good taste in clothing. He turns his head towards us. He's wiping glasses of various sizes and shapes.

"Welcome to Edenhall." He says. "Please, take a seat."

Ino curiously walks towards the stools and sits down on one of the middle chairs. I do the same, selecting a seat to her right. She has a sparkle in her eyes. I don't take her for the drinking type, but after tonight's _mishaps_, anyone would want to drink out of their own misery.

"So," the barkeep presumes, "What would you two like to drink?"

"Alcohol," Ino blatantly demands, "lots of it."

I want to remind Ino that we're not even legal drinking age, and yet she's risking buying alcohol without suitable proof of age of majority.

The bartender looks at me with cautious eyes.

"Please," he says, "feel welcome to order anything you'd like. Business is slow today, so don't feel that your age is a restriction."

The barkeep sees right through me. I don't want to admit that he was right, but his hospitality is something rare. Ino looks surprised too, but remains intent on being intoxicated to some unknown degree.

"Hey mister," she says, "your door is heavy. Maybe that's why you're not attracting any customers!"

He beams, smiling as if he's been hearing comments like this all his life.

"It seems very odd," he admits, "a door that seems so heavy, it refuses its customers."

"No kidding, ne!" Ino reacts.

"But think about it just a bit." The barkeep insists. "In exchange, when one enters, they are protected from the outside world. He or she can forget about the pangs from beyond that heavy door, and forget about the world outside his or her chair. They can forget about their title or age, and can act like themselves. As such, I'll give you two a few moments to settle in before taking your orders."

After he finished, he paused momentarily before resuming wiping the highball in his hands.

Ino sighs as she sinks deeper into her chair, finally slumping herself onto the mahogany countertop. She is deep in thought, before she begins to speak to me.

"Ne, I'm sorry for turning you down this morning."

"Aa."

That's all I can seem to say. Today, I put so much thought about it, but being with her at this moment, in this place of solitude, it all seems to cancel all of today's events into a feeling of blankness. It's like I can start over again with her.

She laughs. "I'll take that as an 'I forgive you.'"

She's beaming. It might be the comfortably dim lighting, but I don't think I've seen her any more beautiful than she is right now. I officially admit that I really do care about this girl. But it's not just about her looks, but it's about the way I feel about myself when I'm blanketed by her warmth and kindness.

It's like the feeling the kikaichu get, knowing that I'm always there to supply them with chakra. Yes, it's a horrible analogy, it's a guy thing, but my fighting style only exists because of the give and take relationship I have with them. I just hope that after taking in so much kindness from Ino, I want to be able to give some back to her as well.

"Ino," I say softly, "Do you remember anything about what happened the day the Ladybugs came into your store?"

She was silent, as if she was unable to recollect. However, the gradual rouging of her soft cheeks indicated otherwise.

"Shino," she said, "I don't remember anything at all. I fell on top of you, and then I felt a pleasant aroma from the bugs that landed on top of us. I don't remember anything afterwards. After hearing Gai-sensei read that passage, I began to feel that the fall more than just an accident."

I don't remember anything either, but by hearing her say those words, I badly wanted to.

"Yeah," I respond, "let's drink."

"Sure."

The bartender looks up at us, smiling. He definitely heard our conversation, because he was quick to respond our readiness to order.

"Sir," Ino says, "you didn't tell us your name."

"Ryu Sasakura."

"Well, Ryu," I respond, "we'll order your specialty."

He pauses, deep in thought. He looks at our hopeful faces, deliberating on the most appropriate cocktail.

"Ok," he concludes, "I have just the thing."

He reaches under the counter for a bottle of vermouth. He then grabs a bottle of _Godaime's Choice_, a specialty brand of sake, well known for being promoted by Tsunade-sama herself. He pours portions of each bottle into a shaker at a carefully calculated ratio. He smiles with a secret agent-like charm as he shakes the container, then carefully pouring the contents into two martini glasses. He garnishes the drinks with edible flower petals.

"Haiku martunia," he says, "a combination of a haiku martini and a martunia(1). It's garnished with---"

"With white violet petals," Ino interjects, "they mean---"

"They mean '_Let's take a chance on happiness.'_" I add.

"…_yes_…" Ino softly replies, cheeks becoming rosy.

"Well," Ryu remarks, "then you know why this drink is especially befitting for the both of you. It's on the house."

He bows, then leaves, in respect of our wanted privacy.

"So," Ino says, raising her glass towards me, "to happiness then?"

I nod in agreement. I felt hesitant at first at the door, but thanks to it, I was able to easily relax, and think that I could somehow overcome the trials of the days to come. I raise my glass and lightly clink it with hers.

"Cheers, Ino-chan."

---

Author's Notes:

(1) A haiku martini is a variation of the standard martini, replacing the gin or vodka with sake. A martunia is also a variation of the martini, garnished with an edible flower petal, instead of the usual olive.

I felt compelled to do this chapter so soon, after watching a few episodes of the anime "Bartender." Just be glad I'm such a nice author-nin XD

Stay tuned for more updates. Feed my ego with reviews, ne? They make me update sooner than I'd like, but it's all for your sakes anyways!


	7. Piggyback

Disclaimer – I do not own the Naruto franchise or its original story and plot. But we'll see about that…goes off to do some telemarketing scheme for buying-out-Naruto-franchise money

Note – parings for this chapter – InoShino, Kurenai-Asuma

---

I hate how I always forget what happens in my dream when I wake up. It would be something so pleasant, but as soon as I'm aware that I'm in my bed in the morning, there's a feeling of emptiness that something good has disappeared from me forever.

It's the opposite when you wake up and not forgetting your dream, but the latter parts of what you did that night, before you pass out drunk.

This is what it's like for me when the sunlight breaks through the silk curtains into the room, stabbing me in the eyes. When it's morning in Konoha during the spring, the rays are especially sharp, and I'm unfortunate enough to not have my glasses on when I open my eyes.

It stings, but I can't complain. I can still remember last night somewhat clearly. Ino and I share a couple of drinks, a few stories, and even a laugh or two. Of course it would mostly be Ino laughing, but thanks to the alcohol, I can only assume that my inhibitions failed to prevent me from laughing at her jokes too.

That's the last of what I can recollect of that night. Round after round of free drinks tends to do that. It takes a few seconds to realize I'm on the floor with a blanket around me, and the door leading into the hallway is closed. I never fall out of bed, and I always sleep with the door open, so this is something irregular in my usual routine for waking up. Nonetheless, I stand up in a half-awake trance, and proceed into the hallway, ignoring all the details of my surroundings. I just aim for the stairs, and pray that I don't clumsily fall down.

Thankfully, I manoeuvre myself down the steps without my face colliding with the floor. I turn to my right and walk towards the breakfast table like always, and give myself time to wake up naturally as I sit.

"Mornin'." A girly voice says, drowsily. It's probably my sister. Did I mention that I have a sister? She's eerily like me, except 2 years younger. She's also a gifted genin at the ninja academy, and she's extremely inconspicuous in front of her friends. I can't really see her face, but her expression and droopy walk is assurance enough. She could stand to put on some clothes though, since she has a habit of lounging around in suggestive nightwear in the morning. It's embarrassing for me because it tends to bring out her curves, but as long as none of her guy friends are around, I really don't care. It's a big brother thing, I guess.

"Morning." I grunt back as I struggle to gather all my senses. It's usually only until I'm fully awake before I notice obvious discrepancies in my surroundings. Today is especially true, since there's definitely something unusual about where I'm sitting. As she sits down across from me, I notice she's a bit closer to me than normal. I realize now that the table is a lot smaller than it's supposed to be. It sits two, not four. There are no pictures of the family hanging from the walls like always. The "flight" of stairs only had 2 steps in it. All the signs are showing that we're not at my house. Even weirder, my sister's hair is supposed to be short and black, not long and blonde. Is she even my sister?

I widely awaken to the sight of Ino sitting right across from me, wearing suggestive nightwear.

She's not fully awake either. Maybe I can steal a peek?

No. That's not the right thing. This is Ino, for crying out loud. She's the beautiful, smart, poetic, and genuinely nice girl who I've become so attracted to in the last few weeks. I've read some of Hinata's harem manga, and nothing good ever comes from the guy who accidentally caught staring at the girl's seductive form. Frankly, I don't feel like getting launched into the sky from a fearsome punch.

Ugh. She still hasn't noticed me in front of her. I don't look like her father at all. She's probably worse than me! I guess it isn't too bad of an idea to look at her. It's just a matter of not focusing on the suggestive parts. This story is not rated high enough to describe her "other" features anyways. Damn, she's pretty though. I wonder how often people tell her that she's that attractive.

"Dammit, Shino-kun!" a sultry, feminine voice from behind me pouts. "What do you see in _her_ that you can't see in _me_?"

At least I wasn't caught looking by Ino. I inwardly concede and thank fate for not deciding otherwise.

"Kurenai-sensei," I ask, "this is your house?"

"Of course!" She ecstatically replies. "Don't you just LOVE my bachelorette pad?"

I nod. It _is_ a nice house for its size. It's quite comfy for a single woman in her late twenties to early thirties. She's lived in it all her life, even after her parents moved away for retirement. I remember being here before with Hinata and Kiba a few years back; I remember it being a rickety bungalow located a bit far from the rest of the village, but has a nice view of it.

Speaking of bachelorette, the last time I saw her was yesterday evening on that double date with Ino and Asuma-sensei. I wonder how that worked out between them. I'm sure they had a good time, but it was a bit much for me. It was probably as bad for Ino as well, who's currently in a half-coma with her face finally falling down onto the table, creating a loud smack. It's amazing that she can still remain asleep afterwards.

"Shino-kun." Kurenai-sensei says, this time with a more serious tone. "You the both of you need to leave as soon as possible."

"Why?" I ask.

I hear a loud thump coming from one of the bedrooms in the hallway, followed by an angry voice, lashing out in pain and frustration. The thoughtless swearing makes me think that it's probably Asuma. I'm right, of course. He enters the room holding his shoulder gingerly. He must have fallen out of bed.

"Kurenai-sweetie! Your bed just collapsed on one side!" Asuma says groggily, lighting a cigarette.

Asuma slaps him. "I told you not to come out here! Do you really want Shino and Ino to find out about us?"

I can only come to the conclusion that in this two-bedroom house, they shared a room overnight, while…I shared a room with Ino? I guess that's why I was on the floor. Ino was sleeping on the bed, and I hadn't bothered looking there when I got up. I'm more shocked when I look at Asuma and Kurenai-sensei. They're both no more properly dressed than Ino.

Why am I the only one who bothers to wear clothes in this house? I remind myself to purge this morning from my memory, along with many other memories that coincidentally involve the two.

"I'd like to leave now." I say calmly, trying not to add to the unnecessary tension in the room.

"Okay." Kurenai-sensei says, taking a short drag of Asuma-sensei's cigarette. "You have to report to Tsunade's office about your mission. Ino as well, she wants to see you both."

The blonde's face is still planted onto the wood grain. It'd be cute if her face still had grain markings on it if she woke up just now. It'd be cuter if it stays on while she's speaking to Tsunade-sama later.

"I can't leave If Ino is still half-asleep." I point out. "She doesn't look she's going anywhere."

"That's fine," Asuma-sensei said. "Just carry her with you."

"That's so cute, Asuma-kun!" Kurenai-sensei squeals. "But she's still wearing my nightie! I'll have to dress her back into her usual clothing.

She skips over to Ino's side of the table and carries her off to her room.

"Don't miss us too much boys! O-ne-ga-ii 3"

Kurenai-sensei is now in her room, dressing up Ino-chan, and both of them are in revealing clothing. I'm in the main room with Asuma-sensei and sadly, I can't stop myself from thinking perverted thoughts. I blame Asuma; he probably tainted my virgin mind with some sort of hentai aura. With that gawky look on his face, I wouldn't be surprised if he was thinking the same thing, if not worse.

A few minutes later, Kurenai-sensei enters the hallway with Ino on her back. She looks at me, suggesting that I carry her load to the Hokage's office.

"How far is it to Tsunade-sama's building?" I ask.

"A few kilometres." She replies.

I inwardly sigh.

"Don't give me that look Shino-kun!" She says with a genuine smile. "Think of it as training!"

I can't rebut her logic. I really need to train hard for the Jonin exam, which is coming up way too soon for my liking. And besides, what's the harm in walking a few kilometres, giving the girl you like a piggyback ride? The more I think of it, the more I become excited at the prospect of spending a little more time with her when she wakes up.

I wouldn't trade that for anything in the world.

---

Author's Notes

Yeah, sorry this chapter is a bit short, but I had the biggest headache on Friday after my midterm, and I have another one on Tuesday, so I gotta study. Have fun with this chapter, and don't forget to review, o-ne-ga-ii


	8. Modern Kunoichi

Disclaimer: I don't own the Naruto Franchise, or its original characters and plots. I wish I had an issue of shojo beat magazine. Those are so much cooler than cosmo!

---

_"Near the end of the courtship ritual, the Female initiates a sequential mating invitation by emitting distinct chirping calls. The male accepts the invitation by making calls of its own. These calls gradually increase in loudness for the purposes of elevating their reproductive hormones." _- _Mating Rituals of _S. saffronica

---

"NO!" She slams her palm onto the Hokage's Desk. "I can't allow that! He deserves this more than I do!"

Tsunade-sama's mood isn't any better than Ino's. When two females go at it with each other when they're moody, it gets ugly real fast. I witness it all the time between my mom and sister.

"How dare you take that tone, you brat!" snaps Tsunade-sama. "He has no choice! He has to finish his mission before the Jonin written exam starts, or else he can't participate!"

We were in her office discussing our eligibility to take the Jonin exams. Obviously, I'm glad that Ino cares about me, since she openly objected to me not being able to go with an incomplete mission. But that's also probably because she was still asleep when we entered the office. But it's probably because Tsunade-sama had to wake her up by yelling at her and then hitting her on the head with a novelty-sized fan, and Ino's just trying to get on her bad side.

There's throwing of objects. That's my cue to leave the room. A lamp hits me in the back of the head on the way out.

"Sorry Shino-Kun! It's Tsunade-baka's fault!"

"TSUNADE-BAKA?!?!? GRRRR!!!!"

Further girlish grunting ensues. Their eyes are wide-open and glaring, eyebrows angled downwards in defiance of the other person. It's not a side I'd like to see from Ino, and having Sakura pass by me on the way out probably won't help either.

I zone myself out while sitting in a chair in an empty hallway outside the Godaime's office. I try to block out the words "forehead girl" and "Ino-pig," shouted out blatantly. I try to nonchalantly dodge objects that crash through the wall, but it's hard to evade a 20-inch computer monitor.

"Sakura-baka!" Tsunade yells. "We just got that monitor last week! How am I going to keep track of all the mission reports!?"

"Use your books like you always did, lazy obaa-chan!"

They bicker, bicker, and bicker again even louder. Damn them, I could be using this time to finish my mission. I haven't checked on the bugs in days. Are all girls like this? I'm beginning to regret my decision to like her so much. Sigh, what a drag. If I become her "happily ever after", I'll have to put up with that for the rest of my life. There's nothing fairy tale about that, that's for sure. Nonetheless, she's still sticking up for me, which is always a good thing.

"I've had enough!" Tsunade scolds. "Sakura! You're going to pay for all the damage!"

"WHAT!?!" Sakura protests.

"HA HA!" Ino-chan laughs, rejoicing. "You lose, forehead-girl!"

"Ino! You're not off the hook either!" Yells Tsunade-sama. "Since you insist that Shino be allowed to take the exam, I'm assigning you to his mission as well. You have to finish the mission, pass or fail, or you don't get to go to the exam."

Oh crap. Ino's going to punish me later. It might not be too bad, depending on the "punishment" she gives me.

"_SHINO-PERVERT!! STOP THINKING ABOUT THIS MORNING!!" – on forehead: inner-Shino_

Inner-self syndrome. I probably got it from Ino. How inconvenient.

She storms out without saying another word. She forcefully drags me out of the building along with her, my feet literally scraping against the gravel as we enter the street. She walks all the way to the flower shop before she realizes that she's pulling me by the back of my collar.

"Oh. Sorry, I didn't realize." She says. "Why didn't you say anything when I grabbed you on the way out?"

I don't give a reason. I really didn't mind her having to drag me all the way back to the shop. In a way, it's an indirect version of holding hands. How sad!

She trails off on her own, taking her rampage out on the wall behind the shop. Within a few seconds, the wall is already a crater, and her intensity is unyielding. I really don't want her to stop, so I try to think of things to calm her down.

"Hey, I'm sorry this had to happen to you." I say to her, empathetically. "It's my fault. Do you want to talk about it?"

She continues to flail away.

"Um, if there's anything I can do, don't hesitate to ask." I remark with a grin. She gives no response.

This is pretty bad. I don't think she's even hearing a word I say. If I don't do anything soon, she'll make a hole right through the wall.

I can't think of any way to calm an angry girl down. I have limited experience with dealing with similar situations. I'm only familiar with shy, subdued girls like Hinata, and girls like her never had mood swings as violent as this. She just likes to occupy herself with shojo manga. I don't think Ino would enjoy the same thing, but theoretically it just might work! I have no other choice, do I?

There's a convenience store next door to the shop. I quickly run over there. I barge right through the door, with a look of intense panic on my face.

"I NEED A GIRLY MAGAZINE!"

Not the best way to greet a shopkeeper, but I'm desperate. I can't really Ino down any other way. I have to get her attention in any way possible.

"Oh really? Then here's something _all_ girls your age would enjoy."

He hands me an issue of _Modern Kunoichi_ magazine. I leaf through the first few pages. Ads upon ads of perfumes, clothes, and a bunch of bishonen models. Not bad! I'll take it! I pay the cost, and get the heck outta there before Ino notices I'm gone.

I wave the issue of _Modern Kunoichi _in front of her, above her mercilessly pounding arms. She _immediately_ ceases her pounding. The look on her face is irresistibly endearing. I didn't really think that _all_ girls were obsessed with this sort of thing. Luckily she hadn't bought the new issue yet.

"WOW SHINO-KUN!" She says, overjoyed. "IT'S THE MAY ISSUE!"

She snags the magazine from my unsuspecting fingers, and runs inside and settles on a high-rise stool in front of the register. She peruses with genuine interest, and becomes even more self-absorbed into her reading. She continues to ignore me when I ask if she's alright or not, but her smile indicates that her mood has changed for the better.

Girls are so weird sometimes. Thank goodness they're cute enough to get away with it.

---

After about 10 minutes, she flips the last page of the book, and then sighs to herself in relief as she finally puts down the book.

"Best. Issue. Ever." She states intently, as she looks at me for the first time today.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it."

"How did you know that I loved reading _MK?" _she asks.

"I had a feeling."

That's a lie. I similarly let out a subtle sigh of relief.

"So anyways," Ino says, "How much time do we have before the Jonin exams? 2 days? It's hardly enough to finish and study for the written at the same time. Here's my solution. You're going to study with me at the flower shop until the Jonin exams come. We can monitor the bugs' progress while we prepare for the exam, just in case we're able to complete it."

I nod. "Maybe we can think of a way to get them to start mating."

She shakes her head agreeably. "You think of something. I'll be back with some books that we can study with."

I concur. She makes a determined fist, and exits the storeroom through a back door that leads to a stairwell. I guess she lives upstairs. It only makes sense. She's very determined to finish this and pass the Jonin exam. I am to, but in a way, I'm also determined to win her affection. My Jonin exam is in 2 days, but right now, I feel like I'm taking a test in romance.

And I don't plan on failing either of them.

---

She still hasn't come back. How many books does she plan on bringing down? I don't know what to do momentarily except wait. I look around for the two bugs, but they're hidden somewhere. There's chirping, but due to the emptiness of the store, it's heard mostly as an echo, and it makes one think that he or she knows where it's coming from, but hides as cunningly to his or her discontent. I don't want to disturb them, but I'm optimistic that things are going smoothly. It just needs to be a bit smoother so I can finish the damn mission.

Chirp Chirp.

And Ino still isn't here. It's an eerie mood. There is no sound other than the bugs'.

Tick Tock.

There's the sound of the clock too. It's only 2 in the afternoon. By the time it becomes 2 in the afternoon again, I have to finish the mission. By the time it becomes 2 in the afternoon again afterwards, I have to take the Jonin exam. Somewhere in between, I have to tell Ino that I love her.

Yeah, I do. I think I inwardly decided somewhere during the magazine purchase, or maybe after, when she called me _Shino-kun_.

Chirp Chirp. Tick Tock.

Dammit, If only I could find out if she feels anything about me. There's gotta be a sign! How can I tell? I just hope it's not body language. Pounding someone's face in isn't the best way to tell him your feelings. I sigh; I hope there's a sign _somewhere_ in this store, or at least some way to find what she's thinking.

I glance over the rims of my shades, and lay my eyes on a just-read magazine. _Modern Kunoichi_. The girl on the cover looks kinda like Sakura Haruno. I smile. This is my ticket to the inner workings of a trendy female shinobi like Ino. I leaf through the first few pages.

'Table of Contents.' Nothing. I turn the page.

'Combat-Worthy Hair: Be a chic shinobi!' No thanks. I turn the page.

2-page ad, '_Godaime's Choice _Vodka.' I love that stuff. I turn the page.

'More than Just a Weapon: 10 Fashionable Ways to use your Kunai.' I'll read that later. I turn the page.

Half-page ad, '_Icha Icha Paradise: special edition'_. I shudder. I turn the page.

Below the ad, 'Ask Kashi-sensei: Romance advice.' This might work. I read the passage.

---

_Dear Kashi-sensei,_

_I'm in love with a boy who is obsessed with insects, but I'm scared to death by them! I even tried getting over my fear by offering to look after some of his bugs at work, but I get so edgy that I can't even do my job properly! Help me, onegaii!!_

_Blonde and Bug-phobic 3_

_Dear B&B,_

_I think it's very strong of you to try and get over your fears for him. But sometimes it's a bad thing to try to force changes on yourself. You need to let him see you for the way you are. Just be yourself, and he'll definitely notice your better qualities. As for compatibility issues, I don't even see any. If anything, you can use it to your advantage! For example, when you're on a date, and he shows you his bugs, you have an excuse to cling onto his arm like you're watching a horror movie! It's an easy way to be more intimate with him! I hope this advice helps, because you're definitely in love with him to be willing to face your fears!_

_Kashi_

---

I hear an Ino-pitched yelp from across the room. I put down the magazine and turn my head in her direction. I sigh inwardly. She's trapped in an aisle that is blocked by the _saffronica_. She waits patiently, but uneasily for them to pass by her completely. As the mates hide amongst the floral displays on the next shelf, she takes a breath of relief, and continues to walk towards me with the study materials.

She stops behind the counter, and lays 2 books on top of the magazine that I was reading.

"You don't like reading that kind of stuff, do you?" She says, nervously. She blushes.

I subtly lower my head into my collar to hide my slightly warmed cheeks.

"I don't. Too many advertisements."

"Oh. Okay, that's good then."

She smiles, relieved, probably thinking that I didn't read the magazine. She slides one of the books towards me. It's entitled, _The Way of the Shinobi_, by Shodai Hokage (1).

"Wait a minute." I say. "Isn't it supposed to be _the_ Shodai Hokage? The founder of Konoha?"

"Yes," Ino replies, "it's a good philosophy book. Just reading it will get you mentally and emotionally prepared for the test."

I see. It's not really study material, but something to read while waiting for the bugs to finish doing their thing.

"Does it have anything useful pertaining to the written test?"

"Nope. You're a smart guy, I'm sure you'll pass the written." Ino lowers her voice slightly, and looks down at the _Modern Kunoichi_. "I just figure, maybe if I read it with you, I could become more confident in myself."

She lets out a smile. It's extremely subtle, but I see a slight glimmer in her eyes when she raises her head to face me. She's blonde, and she's definitely afraid of bugs. Is she the one who wrote that letter? Am I that guy she's in love in, who's obsessed with bugs? I'm not _that _obsessed with bugs. Okay, fine. I am. Does that mean that the article was about Ino and I?

I _could_ scare her, and test the theory out, but I think that's just mean. Maybe I can help her get over her fear of bugs? That's something I'm definitely willing to do.

I pump my fist with positive determination. "I hope for the same thing. Don't let me down, ne?"

She smiles, gives me half a wink, and gives a 'nice guy' thumbs up.

"I won't, I guarantee it! If we help each other out, we'll pass for sure! It's the way of the shinobi!"

The chirping becomes noticeably louder, breaking the brief silence that followed her 'nice guy' speech.

They're almost ready to pair up for good. Somehow, I feel the same way. I just hope she does too.

---

Author's notes

YEAH! Finally done the chapter. I already have the rest of the story planned out, but filling in the details of each event takes a lot more words than I originally envisioned. I'm doing a lot of research into how to get the best writing style for the very last event. So while I'm preparing for the ending, I have time to do a lot of stuff with the plot leading up to it. So expect a few more chapters like this to lead up to the finale! Let me know what you think! Reviews fill me with good writing chakra! LoL!

Preview summary for the next chapter:

Shino has an all-night study date with Ino!


	9. Hinata

OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG SORRY FOR THE LONG WAIT EVERYONE!!! SCHOOL JUST SUCKS RIGHT NOW, AND IT'S SO HECTIC!!

bows head repeatedly GOMEN NASAI!!! .

If it's any consolation, I'll let you in on a few details of the life that's getting in the way of fic writing. I'm a Forensic Biology specialist hopeful in University. I'm currently taking one course more than what would be considered a full course load, meaning I'm doing extra work. On top of that, there's a girlfriend of one year as of February 22, who's actually a big influence on my writing of this sort of genre, because of course I love her to little bits and pieces. On top of that, there's the university's anime club, in which I'm campaigning for an executive position for next year. AND THEN THERE'S THE ANIME WATCHING. Isn't Naruto Shippuuden great or what? I can't wait until we see Ino and Shino in action.

Just a reminder, while I'm on the subject: since I don't follow the manga, I could care less about manga canon. This is strictly based on the anime, and of course they haven't passed the Jonin exams yet. And anybody who just happens to die in the manga probably won't die in my Naruto world. Not yet, anyways…(possible teaser? MAYBE/MAYBE NOT!! Hahaha, I'm so mean)

Anyways, here's the usual Disclaimer – I do not own the Naruto franchise or its original story and plot. I do own a nice DS with Elite Beat Agents, which I bought with Christmas money. It probably ALSO explains the wait for this new chapter, so I apologize. You can blame Nintendo for its catchy games and sleek sexy DS lite /advertisement

---

"_Shino. I love you. I've always loved you. Ever since our first kiss, I can't stop thinking about you. I just can't _breathe _without you. I want to spend the rest of my life making you happy. This is my confession. I want to be with you forever, Shino. But there's a problem. I'm also in love with Hinata. It's a different kind of love though. It's the kind of love that makes me want to use my mind transfer technique on her so I can force her to do nasty things with my body. I'm not lying to you Shino. I've been feeling this even before I started loving you. I'm just so confused. I hope you understand. I wish I didn't have to make this decision between the two of you. I just wish there was some way I could…well…have you both…" – Shino's Dream(1)_

---

I jolt upwards as I wake, accidentally muttering, "OMG WTF YURI!!"

She gives a blank stare, then giggles restrainedly. She explodes in laughter soon afterwards.

"I don't want to know what kind of weird ecchi dreams you have, but we gotta study, ne!"

Ino sticks her tongue out at me, and winks. She then turns her head back to her book.

Sometimes, things we say don't need to be justified. The ones who care about you already understand the extent of your mental problems. We'll just leave it at that, to spare myself from further embarrassment.

---

The silence shared by Ino and I while reading is enjoyable. As I'm half paying attention to the wise words of the first Hokage, I am utterly failing at using my peripheral vision to watch Ino read in the corner of my eye. She sits beside me at a comfortable, but platonic distance. She holds the book spread open on her left hand, her left elbow resting on her leg. She subconsciously caresses the petals of an orange blossom with her right hand. Orange blossom means 'bringing wisdom'.

It's a good luck charm for her, perhaps. The flower might actually help her pass the written component. A slight turn of Ino's head towards me takes me by surprise, and I look away from her before she manages to catch me. She gives an exasperated sigh, and slams her book onto the floor, walks out of the room towards the cash register, orange blossom in hand.

She closes the door behind her, and contrary to popular saying, it slightly hits her butt (which I haven't noticed until now) on the way out, leaving a slight crack (no pun intended) open to view the main room of the shop from the room.

I crawl towards the door from my legs-crossed sitting position and sneak a peek outside to see what's going on. There's a cluster of ficus pots blocking my view, but I can make out the voices of Ino and a softer voice, probably a girl's.

"Ino-chan! I desperately need your help!" the voice says, followed by louder sniffles.

"For crying out loud, Hinata! Why do I always have to help you out with your relationship problems?" Ino responds whiningly.

"Because!" The girl responds. I guess it's Hinata. The soft tone of her voice confirms my suspicion. "You're the only one I can turn to for relationship help. I would have gone to Kurenai-sensei for advice, but…but…"

Hinata bursts into a flurry of tears, blubbering as if she were a little girl who scraped her leg.

My protective instincts take over, and naturally, I jump up from my sitting position and burst into the main room to try and comfort her. Much to my dismay, the suddenness of my appearance in front of her gives her a good jolt, making her flinch. She falls back, slips on the wet floor, and trips over a familiar rack of seed packets. The way she sails over the now broken shelf seems so graceful, almost as if it were occurring in dramatic movie-like slow motion.

In an all-too-familiar turn of events she rolls onto the floor, once again colliding with Ino's legs, causing the blonde to fall over as well. The scene in front of me is hauntingly familiar, almost as if I were observing my own life from outside my body. The only exception is Hinata's body in place of mine, and luckily she's not in lip-lock with Ino. Oh, and there are no bugs in sight.

Scratch that last thought about the ladybugs. The saffronica appear from behind me, and gently land on Ino's back in unison. They begin to scrape their wings loudly, forming a high-pitched, scratchy chirping sound. The sound lasts for a second; silence immediately follows.

Oh god, are they going to spray again? If they do…

"OMG WTF YURI!!"

Ino stares at me blankly with extremely wide eyes and a perplexed expression on her face. Hinata stops crying, and gives me the same awkward gaze.

"I mean, don't move!! The ladybugs!!" I exclaim, pointing towards the insects on Ino's back.

"What about them!?!?!" Ino yells, fuming at her embarrassing situation.

"THAT NOISE! THEY'RE GOING TO MATE!" I exclaim.

"WHAT? ON INO-CHAN'S BACK?" Hinata whines, tears still gushing from her previously reddened eyes, down her now-reddened cheeks.

"Yes! Don't move until they're done! We've been waiting for this for weeks! Don't ruin it!"

I rush to the cash register nearby, and manage to find a pencil and a pad of paper. I run towards the main door and lock it, and put up the "Closed" sign. I shut the drapes with furious intensity. I'm going to finish this mission, even at the cost of Ino and Hinata's embarrassment.

Much to my surprise, and to the girls' dismay, they end up mating for an astonishing two hours.

---

"Itte," Ino grimaces, "my back hurts (2). I'm going upstairs to my house to get some pain relievers. Do you need any, Hinata?"

"No thanks, I'm fine."

Ino opens the door leading upstairs to her second-floor home, leaving me alone with Hinata and my makeshift bug container. The saffronica are safely kept in a small, empty plastic flower pot, covered at the top with plastic wrap, punctured with several air holes.

Hinata walks towards the counter where the container sits, and stares down gloomily into the pot.

"So, Shino…are you guys done with your mission then?" She asks with a tone of voice much more depressing than usual.

"Yeah, pretty much" I respond.

"I see." Hinata says, as she lets out half a sigh.

As cynical as I may sound, Hinata's definitely at her cutest when she's sad. It's a good thing, since I'm more inclined to try to make her feel better. It's what a good team-mate does.

"Do you want to talk about it?" I ask.

"Yeah." She begins her story.

"Today was my one-year anniversary with Naruto. I really wanted to plan on doing something extra-special for him, but I didn't know what to do. So I went to Kurenai for help-"

_Oh god. _I think to myself, accidentally missing out on the next part of Hinata's story, which is already messed up by default on account of Kurenai-sensei's insanity.

"-didn't know what girls say to guys on their anniversary, so I trusted her that those would be the right words to say-"

_OH GOD, NO!! HINATA, YOU'D HAVE TO BE AN IDIOT TO ACTUALLY SAY THAT TO HIM!! _Again, I miss out on another chunk of her story. I'm normally a good listener, but when it comes to matters like Kurenai-sensei, she tends to draw lots of unneeded attention.

"-finally alone after our date, and I said it to him. He went all pale and didn't say a word for a minute, and then finally, he turned all red, and just ran away. I've never felt so humiliated in my life!"

I lower my head in disappointment. She's in love though, and she'll listen to anyone.

"Hinata," I sigh, "you didn't do anything wrong."

"You really think so, Shino-kun?"

"I know so!" I nod affirmatively. "Guys aren't receptive to shocking lines like Kurenai-sensei's. Well, at least, guys our age, like Naruto. Trust me, I received the same advice from Kurenai-sensei, and believe me, it probably only works on Kurenai-sensei."

"Oh, I see." She smiles, twiddling her fingers as she blushes. "I'm s-sorry I made such a big fuss about everything then. Will Naruto-kun be okay?"

"I'll talk to him later," I respond.

She beams. She gives me a super tight hug, and widens her smile considerably.

"That is of course," I accidentally blurt out, "If you answer a stupid question that I was wondering about."

Oh no. I'm not spilling my secret to Hinata about Ino am I? Maybe I can trust her. Or maybe, I can just ask her a general question about girls, and she might not even have to know.

"Oh," She says slyly, now with a smirk on her face, "If you're talking about Ino-chan, I read this month's _Modern Kunoichi_. I'm very confident that she's head over heels in love with you."

…Or better yet, I don't have to ask at all.

"So you know…"

"Of course I do, Shino-kun!" She smiles. "I bet she's the kind of girl who would want to use her mind-transfer technique on you, just so you could do some freaky things to her…"

_MAH?!? What the hell did she just say?_

"I mean, um, she's a very passionate person!" She chuckles half-heartedly, and then proceeds to exit the shop. "Please tell Ino I said thanks!"

"For what?"

"For taking care of my dear Shino-kun of course!"

I see the smile on her face as she turns away towards the door.

---

The sun is a majestic crimson-amber blend, and begins to go down on our quiet village. Ino walks beside me towards the entrance gate, matching stride for stride. I hold the container in my hands, greatly relieved at our accomplishment. There's still some more time to cram for the test, but we have to complete this one final objective: releasing the bugs back into the wild.

In some ways, I feel sad to let them go, but there are bigger things to worry about. By the looks of it, Ino seems to be teary-eyed anyways, so I can be comforted by the fact that she be sad for the both of us.

"Itte…" she says, wiping her eyes, "It still hurts."

I'll pretend that she's sad for the bugs having to go. I peel the plastic wrap off, and raise the pot up into the air. The yellow-spotted Konohan ladybugs fly off into the wind, quickly disappearing into the distance.

"Say, Shino-kun…" Ino says, still somewhat agitated by her back.

"Yeah?"

"…can we stay here a bit longer?"

"That's fine with me."

We walk together for about half a kilometre away from the village walls. From here, the view of Konoha makes me feel as if all the worries of the village are behind us, but anxiously wait for our return. So for now, I can just relax, and breathe in the air of momentary freedom from all my troubles.

And from the way Ino holds on to my arm as she silently stares into the sunset, I am rather confident that she feels the same way.

---

YATTA!! Finally done the chapter!! And that took how long to update? Again, I'm really sorry. I promise to try to post updates at least on a biweekly basis. School is tough eh? So we'll see. I'm still trying to plan the final stages of the story, since obviously we're nearing the end of this wonderful little plot-bunny that I happened across one day.

Anyways, here's what's on tap for the final parts of the story.

Jonin exams – an intense written component that tests Shino's deepest beliefs about being a shinobi, and perhaps, being in love as well. A match of romantically epic proportions during the Jonin tournament (hopefully, lol).

Currently, I'm reading up on action fics to get a sense of how to write ninja fight scenes. If you have any favourite fight fics, please feel free to make suggestions in the comments.

ENDNOTES OF DOOM!

(1) – yep, this chapter is a loose exception to my regular form of quoting from a make-believe book about yellow ladybugs doing it. Trust me, there's a method behind the madness.

(2) – Itte translates into "ouch" from Japanese to English. Thanks for comments regarding this, it used to be ittai, but itai only has one t, and translates into "it hurts" instead. I made the corrections, so hopefully that helps.


	10. Nosebleed

A/N - after several months of intense writer's block, I've temporarily given up on trying to write the exam scenario for Ino and Shino. See, I work a desk job, and have access to a computer, meaning that I can chip away during the day. Somehow, a theme that I've noticed with most crack pairings is that, well, the couple themselves appear to be quite normal compared to the quirkiness of the surrounding characters. Anyways, sorry for the delay, here is your reward for patience.

A/N edit – as it turns out, this chapter ended up being one of the longer ones in the fic, so I can no longer say that it's a small little filler chapter, since a lot is going on in this one.

Disclaimer - I do not own Naruto, or its original characters and plot. I do own, however, the maho-shoujo heroine named Rune Hunter Rena. You'll just have to read on to find out what I'm talking about, lol.

Pairs in this chapter: Shino x Ino, Neji x Tenten (anyone watch Shippuuden episode 14 yet? THEIR LOVE IS SO CANON), Akamaru x Beer

---

Deep in the depths of the Earth lies an evil force that threatens the livelihood of humanity. An evil force that once was dormant for thousands and thousands of years has finally awoken, and it will take the courage and willpower of one fated middle school girl, and a small band of her friends. Granted the magical power of the sacred runes of Sarnathia, Rena Tachibana awakens as the hero fated to purify the most sinister darkness. As Rune Hunters, Rena and friends must travel to the ends of the Earth, searching for the 7 mystical Crystals of Kher Khan, in order to prevent the darkness from consuming the Earth. Along the way, they will fight monsters, grow in heart and spirit, and develop the deep bonds of their friendship, not to mention the attention of their biggest crushes!

_Rune Hunter Rena: Airing Thursdays at 7:30pm on KBN, the Konoha Broadcasting Network(1)._

---

Side by side, we both begin trekking back towards the village, perhaps to finish off the studying that we've been half-assing for the last half-hour before Hinata showed up. The trees along the path that juts out from the entry gates sparkle in the foreground of the moonlight, forming a ethereal silhouette. Scattered rays that gently seep through the branches fall on the long flowing hair of the kunoichi to my right. Her beauty is surreal, and the way she glows in the silence of the pathway looks like something out of a maho-shojo anime that Hinata likes to watch on her days off. Not to take anything away from this tranquil moment, but regardless of the cleansing aura surrounding me, I can't help but feel confused. Confused about what exactly is happening between the two of us.

Our relationship, if I can actually call it that, is rooted in a peculiar incident involving the chasing of endangered ladybug species, resulting in the awkward moment of me and Ino accidentally kissing. However, that moment of awkwardness seemed to have felt so right, as the effects of the insect pheromone-like spray gave me (and Ino as well, I would assume) such a hot-blooded rush to give in to passion, despite not having any experience in the matters of romantic relationships, or even physical ones for that matter.

Yet, the aftermath following that incident is just so confusing. Despite the importance of that awkward first kiss, the both of us carried on like usual, as if nothing happened. To get where we were now, we had to take it one step at a time, spending several moments together, starting from small talk at the flower shop, to a few drinks together at Edenhall, to even studying together for the Jonin exams.

And now, here we are, on the way back to the flower shop. It's been such a long time since we first started spending time together, helping each other out, and now I have no idea where to go from here. Blame my inexperience with such matters if you will, but from the looks of the patient, yet apprehensive Ino walking beside me, I could guess that she feels the same way. If there was some easier way to clear up everything that has been going on. Where do we go from here?

Ino breaks the silence between us with a struggled remark, "Shino...um, can I ask you something?"

Oh shit. Here we go, this could possibly be the moment we were both waiting for. The defining point where we settle this issue once and for all. I can only respond half-heartedly with a "Hn."

"Good," she says with a tone of relief. "I've been meaning to ask you about...well..."

I look back at her with a serious face. She looks entrancing with the moon behind her, and I can't help but wonder what she thinks of me, possibly with that same moon behind her reflected in my shades. It could probably be the coolest sight in the world, and I couldn't have set it up better myself.

"...your shades. Why do you still wear them even in the evening, like right now? Don't you have problems seeing?"

I picture myself responding to that question by falling down to the floor. In only 4 or 5 frames. Like in those animes that Hinata likes to watch on her days off.

"I don't know," I respond, "It's always been like that for me. I'm just really comfortable with them on. I can still see a reasonable amount even if it's dark."

"Buy why do you like wearing them? It's like you're trying to hide your eyes from everyone."

When she says 'everyone', I immediately think that she actually means 'me'. I try to reason with her.

"Well, it's not like I'm hiding them or anything. If you want, I'll take them off for you sometime."

Ino perks up a little bit with a smile. It's not the ultimate romantic confrontation that I had expected, but I'm a little glad that she's happier. I don't think I've told her that my shades are there mostly due to light sensitivity. Since they're always on during the day, I often forget that I'm still wearing them when the evening comes. Only when I go to bed that I realize that they're still on. I would take them off, and place them beside my bed on a dark brown, maple side table that my sister crafted for me for my most recent birthday.

I really appreciated her gesture, since prior to having a night table, I would leave my shades on the floor overnight, and then accidentally step on them the next morning. All those times where I would be late to training sessions would actually be due to me running frantically (and retardedly, mind you) to the drug store to pick up a new pair. The pharmacists who work there are probably the only people other than my immediate family that know what my eyes really look like.

"Even before you started visiting the shop a lot," Ino interrupts, "I've always wondered what you look like behind those specs."

I nod politely, and she smiles again. When eventually reach the gates, we are welcomed by an unexpected group.

---

"KANPAIIIII!!!!!" says Choji, as he clangs his glass with Kiba's. Between the both of them, there must have been at least 3 pitchers of beer downed since the moment my team and Ino's sat down at this particular cafe. It's not as homely or sophisticated as Edenhall, but has a grassroots charm to it that seemed to have won the favour of the two drunkenly raging Chunin. It also begs the question why a cafe would serve a lot of alcohol in the first place. I'd rather not know, and from the bored look on Ino's face, she probably doesn't either.

Akamaru isn't missing in on the drunken action, however. He's happily licking anything that overflows from Kiba's glass. Thanks to Choji's horrendous pouring ability, there seems to have been enough spilt beer to make Akamaru at this moment quite disoriented, but very energetic.

Meanwhile, Shikamaru is quietly taking a drag out of his cigarette. A little bit grossed out by the jolliness of the drunken duo, he's quite content to just take a few puffs for the sake of his own relaxation and de-stressing before the big day. All members of Kurenai's team as well as Asuma's team have been selected this year for Jonin examination, which probably explains why we're all here in the first place.

If something seems to be missing from this picture, it would probably be Hinata trying to be the voice of reason in trying to get Kiba to settle down and not to take too many drinks, and even restraining Akamaru from his monkey-see-monkey-do alcoholism. However, as awkward as Hinata has been around me and Ino lately, she appears in front of our table in a cosplay of her favourite maho-shojo character, Rune Hunter Rena. My raven-haired friend is clad in an elaborate ensemble, consisting of rusty-red combat boots, plain white knee-high socks with the Rune Hunter insignia down the sides, a pleated dark red skirt with gold lining, an elegant cream blouse with a frilly silk collar, topped with a green-haired wig with a vintage tiara that looks like it was excavated from some high-profile place in the depths of the jungle.

"Is there anything else you need, Kiba-kun? Some snacks, perhaps?" she asks.

"No HICthanks, H-H-Hina-channnnnn!!!!" Kiba grumbles, as he swigs the rest of his drink, previously filled only halfway, the rest of the glass loaded in suds.

Apparently, while I have been fraternizing with Ino, Hinata has gone and gotten herself a job as a waitress at a cosplay cafe, to make money to pay for her anniversary present for Naruto. I can't say I don't approve. Hinata is willing to do anything for Naruto, even if it means having to serve drunkards like Kiba and Choji. The things people will do for love, I guess. Makes me wonder what I'd be willing to do for Ino.

"Oh, and what about you guys?" Hinata chimes, "Ino-chan, Shino-kun, are you guys sure you don't want anything? Maybe sundae for two perhaps?"

Ino's eyes widen suddenly. "OF COURSE NOT! I mean, why would we want to share a sundae together!? HAHAHAHA YOU'RE SO SILLY, HINATA!!"

Confused, Hinata responds, "But, aren't you and Shino-"

"DOING A MISSION TOGETHER?! YES WE ARE, LOL!" Ino says, blushing slightly. And yes, she actually DID say 'lol'. If anybody cares, she pronounces it as "lawl" instead of actually spelling it out.

"What a liar." Shikamaru says in a disgruntled tone. "It's so obvious they're going out. She's always talking about him during training, and we even saw them having a romantic moonlight stroll outside the village. Ino's such a bad liar, it's such a drag!"

Ino, unlike her previous embarrassed reaction from Asuma-sensei, is less subtle with her violent response. She takes one of the wide plastic straws from the table, and thrusts it right onto Shikamaru's hand, which rests unknowingly in front of him on the table. The straw digs so deep, I swear it could have gone right through.

"OMIGOD WTF!!" Shikamaru reacts. If anybody cares, he spells it out, 'w-t-f'.

"I'M NOT LYING! THERE'S NOTHING GOING ON BETWEEN US! YOU'RE JUST JEALOUS BECAUSE YOU CAN'T GO ON A ROMANTIC WALK WITH TEMARI BECAUSE SHE'S SUCH A BUTCH, AND YOU'RE TOTALLY WHIPPED!"

It's true. Temari is definitely the man in the relationship.

"Oh please," Shikamaru says, gingerly rubbing the back of his nearly straw-impaled palm, "all girls are such a drag anyways. As for you, you're not even denying what I'm saying."

"Th-that's not true!" Ino responds desperately, looking at the rest of the Chunins at the cafe booth, who have suddenly begun listening in on this bickering. "Aren't I right Shino? That we're not involved with each other or anything?!?"

She's giving me a puppy-eyed look, as if she wants me to play along. Sigh. There's really no point in trying to say no, since she'll definitely get mad at me if I respond otherwise. I don't want to look like a loser either, since it'll make me look like I can't land a great gal like her. In such situations, there's only one response that a guy like me could ever get away with when it comes to intense situations.

"Hn."

"See? He agrees with me! End of story!"

Classic stoic style. Shino wins again. Man, I should probably teach a class with Sasuke.

"Well, um, ok." Hinata says, somewhat disappointed. "If anyone needs me, I'll be polishing glasses in the kitchen. Just give a yell if you need anything, seems like nobody else is coming in tonight.

Childish bickering continue between Shikamaru and Ino, while Kiba and Choji proceed to singing songs about heroes coming back, although the way they're going about it, it sounds more like rapping than singing(1). I seem to be the fifth wheel here, but I can't seem to escape from this celebration to go home and sleep. All of a sudden an unexpected couple walk in through the door.

"OH BABY PLEASE! NOT THERE! YOU KNOW MY EARS ARE SENSITIVE HAHAHA!"

Tenten and Neji stumble into the cafe in the most inconspicuous manner. They've been sneaking around together for the past few months, and have been the subject of intense gossip around the other Chunin. This accidental display of affection confirms everyone's suspicions

"Oh, crap!" Neji remarks, "I guess they've found us out, ne, Tenjii?"

"I guess so, Neji-sama!"

What bothers me is that they're not distraught at all by being found out. Maybe Ino could follow their example. If she considers me as something important to her at all.

"I guess we can't really hide it then, might as well sit down beside these guys, and relax before the big exam! ne, Tenjii?"

"Hai, Neji-sama!" Tenten pecks him on the cheek, and takes a seat at the booth adjacent to ours. Neji follows suit, but is interrupted by a sudden near-vital punch to the face.

Rock Lee flies out of obscurity into a flashy pose while in mid-contact with Neji's jaw. "EXPLOSIVE ENTRY!"

"Lee-san! What are you doing here!?!" Tenten asks, more concerned about being found out by Lee, rather than her romantic fling, now ironically flung to the floor.

"I've been following you two secretly enjoying your springtimes of youth!" Lee nonchalantly replies. "Watching you profess your love in front of these fellow Chunin makes me squeal in absolute youthful explosive energy, and I just wanted to celebrate with the rest of you!"

I hear Ino from the corner of my peripheral vision, muttering to herself 'ugh, how long is this nonsense going to last?' I hear ya Ino. All of this is a bit much for me as well.

While Neji, Lee, and Tenten settle themselves into their booth, Shikamaru continues to tend to his palmar injuries, while Akamaru is passed out on the floor, and the beer brothers are now incoherently yelling at each other about what the best H-game is. The words "critical regions" pop up in the conversation, and somehow, I picture the bit of skin that Hinata's costume shows between her knee-high socks and her skirt. Immediately, I picture Ino wearing the same costume.

My nose starts to bleed. Everyone is staring at me. Even Ino. Especially Ino.

"Shino," Ino points out, "you're bleeding."

Crap! Embarrassing! Once again, I have to find a way to get out of this with some sort of dignity. I once again dip into my imaginary bag labelled 'awesomesauce' and pull the most stoic response possible.

"Aa." I stand up, and proceed to the washroom.

Sasuke would be so proud of me.

---

I rinse my hands, and turn off the sink with a paper towel from the dispenser on the wall. The washroom is surprisingly pleasing to the eye. Neutral colours painted onto the walls, a fine red marble design on the countertop of the sinks, and the most incredibly moe pictures of anime girls painted onto the bathroom stalls. Of course, they're painted on the outside, because Kami-sama knows what the effects are if they were drawn on the inside. I would think that guys would take MUCH longer to go number two if that were to happen...

With that thought, I all of a sudden need to go number two. Annoyed at having to wash my hands already, I proceed to open one of the stalls, and lay some paper on the seat. I'm about to go, but all of a sudden, I hear the door swinging open, and a lot of giggling.

"Neji baby, not in here! Someone will see us!"

"No worries hun, everyone's gone home, and it's just the two of us now."

"Well, ok. Even if it's just for a few minutes, tee hee hee!!"

Oh my god. So gross.

"Neji hun, do you think I was the hottest babe there tonight?"

"Of course babe! Well, Hinata doesn't really count, and Ino…well, did you notice how Ino was like, you know..."

"Yeah, she was totally staring at Shino the whole time!"

"It kinda reminds me of the two of us ne, Tenjii?"

"Yeah, before we first started dating secretly."

"Seems like Shino is hesitant to make his move."

"Agreed baby. Nobody will ever be as brave as you, confessing to me like that!"

"Well, you WERE in the ladies washroom, kekeke!"

"Seems like a certain Hyuuga wants to glomp around for a bit, relive some good memories!"

Despite what I just heard about Ino, I stop listening, I plug my ears, lift my feet, and try to hold it in as to not get noticed. The pair breaks into the stall next to me, and tussles around the walls, trying to get into a comfortable position. KAMI-SAMA NO! NOT BESIDE ME! WHY ME?!?

Intense giggling and commotion continue in the adjacent stall for the next three minutes, three of the most ridiculous minutes of trying to hold it in my life. I've even had easier times holding it in during missions.

"Oh Neji-sama!"

"Oh Tenjiii!"

Forehead protectors fall to the floor. They're about to engage the nasty, when someone breaks through the door of the washroom.

"OH CRAP I GOTTA BARF!" says a voice, which I recognize as Kiba's.

The unnamed figure busts down the door next to me, and proceeds to vomit into the toilet in front of the two lovebirds.

"OH MY GOD! GROSS!!!" Tenten screams.

I can't help but laugh hysterically. But in doing so, I accidentally let go

"OH MY GOD! WHAT IS THAT SMELL!" Kiba screams.

Ha, despite my embarrassment, I can't help but imagine that with Kiba's nose, he got totally owned big time.

Naruto would be so proud of me.

---

(1) KBN also means "killed by noob." I'm just wondering how many people picked that up, lol.

(2) This is a reference to the Naruto Shippuuden OP01, "Heroes Come Back"..


	11. Rena

A/N - whew, it's been a while since I last updated, hasn't it? Well, here you go. I'm positive, however, that this is going to be the second-last chapter of the entire story! GASP! The last chapter is obviously going to be the Jonin exam, and the exciting conclusion to this epic saga. I really appreciate everyone who followed the story from near the beginning as I updated, the alert list definitely pushed me to try and finish this thing. It might take a while for the last chapter to be written, but I assure that I will put a ridiculous effort in resolving this story. I'm sure that if you've been keeping track until now, you'll probably enjoy it as much as I.

Warning - parings: NaruHina, AsuKure, InoShino. Not as much crack, fluff/pseudo-angst.

Disclaimer - I do not own the Naruto franchise, or its original story/characters/plots. I own Rune Hunter Rena, and the meanest pair of shino-like shades that I acquired at Anime North.

---

_The Konohan yellow ladybug, _Septempunctata saffronica, _is well-known for its striking resemblance to the Hidden Mist beetle, another rare species found near the ocean country. It is similarly shaped, and comes in several different colours and designs, which includes the same yellow hue as _S. saffronica. _The Hidden Mist beetle, like S. saffronica,_ _is also on the verge of extinction due to overforesting of trees in scattered islands surrounding the ocean country. This trend of overforesting has been thought to be caused by the boom of the economy of all nations surrounding ocean country, most notably, the rise of CHAMP, a very successful manga publishing company, known for its hit series, _Rune Hunter Rena.

- _Konoha's Guide to Foreign Insects and Arachnids, Vol. 1_

---

The fiasco at the cafe turns out to be a mere afterthought, since the team leaders suddenly approach our group outside the cafe.

"There is a slight change of plans" says Kurenai, sternly. "Due to unforeseen circumstances, the Jonin exam will be held at a different location. To meet the schedule requirements, we have to leave right now."

Everyone besides Choji and Kiba nod in agreement, and scatter to our respective houses to make adequate preparations. I direct my eyes at Asuma, who's intently focused on the intoxicated nin.

"Don't worry about these two." Says Asuma, turning his head towards me. "Kurenai and I will take care of them."

Somehow, I'm not too reassured. I give him a stern warning to not do anything freaky with my sensei while we're gone. Just the thought of it makes me cringe.

"Asuma," I reply, "even though Kiba and Choji are still happily drunk, it doesn't mean they can't see what you guys are doing, eh?"

Asuma stares blankly, then Chuckles nervously. "Of course, of course! Run along now!"

I disappear into the night, making my way towards home.

I'm totally ready to kick some ass at the exams.

---

The testing centre, as Kurenai described earlier before all the examinees boarded the ship, is accessible at the end of a gently weaving dirt road that juts out from the southern gate of the village, and subtly branches towards the southeast coastline, forming the commonly used route to one of the main ports of Fire country. A two-hour ferry ride from the port ends the journey at a lone Island to the southwest of Water Country, containing only a moderately sized barracks that was once used as a holding area for Fire Country troops during the great wars. In these times of peace, it is used primarily as the area where the Jonin Exams are held.

We reach the port at around 4:30 in the morning, despite the boat leaving at about 6. Blazing across the frigid sea, the air is quite cold, but has a salty smell that displeases the kikai inside me. They stir inside, suggesting that I should take them inside so that they don't get irritated any further. I grant their wishes, and make my way towards the cabin room designated for Team 8. The others are already settled in. Kiba and Kurenai are asleep their respective bunks, and Hinata is adamantly reading the newest volume of Rune Hunter Rena at the cost of her obvious seasickness. Hinata turns her now-pale face towards me and smiles, then turns back to her shojo story.

I sit down at my bunk, and decide to wait out the next few hours for our boat to arrive at the destination. I take out my trusty Gamestation portable, and plow through a few rounds of Planetz. It's a very challenging strategy game that involves taking over planets by sending units from a predetermined main base, expanding my territory. Each planet I own acts as another base, which produces more and more units, and I use them to keep capturing more planets, even ones controlled by the opponent. The gameplay is simple, but the strategy is quite intense, such that my dad often suggests that by absolutely mastering the game, it will help me micromanage my insects better. It makes sense, and as a result of years of healthy addiction, I absolutely rock at Planetz. Not even Shikamaru, who's an avid fan of the game, can beat me. It's one of my lesser-known skills which I don't pride on too much, because in hindsight, Ino would probably find it to be pretty dorky.

I'm in the middle of molesting the A.I. opponent, despite setting it to maximum difficulty and maximum handicap, and I start to hear Hinata from outside my field of vision sniffle. I pause the game, turn my head towards her, and I see her wiping her eyes as she lays down her manga on top of her backpack on the floor. She turns her head towards me, revealing her eyes, usually a mysterious white, but now slightly reddened, and begins to smile.

"Shino-kun, I'm so happy whenever I'm with Naruto-kun, I often don't know what to make of it."

Her feelings for Naruto are not surprising, but blurting them out like randomly confuses me, I don't know what to make of it. I try to respond as level-headed as possible.

"Aa."

Hinata-chan grips the manga in both her hands, and then holds it really close to her chest, as if she were an infant, clinging onto its blanket as if her life depended on it. She inhales and pauses, while looking out the cabin window in solemn reflection.

"This series happens to be one of my favorites," she confidently states, "because of the strength that Rena shows as a main character. Not only is she responsible for saving the world, but within all that chaos, she is able to realize her love for the main guy character, and be able to deal with it amidst the pressure to defeat evil. It's really cheesy, but I've definitely learned a lot from it, especially when it comes to the huge crush that I had on Naruto."

I nod politely. It's a bit discouraging that despite all those years of Kiba and I being a shoulder for her to cry on, it would be Kiba's sister who introduced her shojo manga, and to the inspirational characters from which that Hinata would eventually model herself.

"And after all those years of you and Kiba being a shoulder for me to cry on," she adds, almost as if she had read my mind, "I realize now that it's been difficult for me to return such a huge favor. I'm really thankful."

"Don't mention it, Hina-chan." I respond.

Hinata's eyes tighten with determination. "And now that you've finally found a girl in Ino, I want to help out in every single way I can. It's the only way I could ever repay you!"

Now wait a minute. Ino's not actually my girl now, is she? I mean, she's a great girl, and I've spent many great moments getting to know her better, and getting close to her. And due to her determination to become a Jonin and her intentions behind being a Jonin, I admire her as a person, who is, in my own eyes, complete in almost every single way. We're not really together are we?

"Hinata."

She sets her dazzling eyes at me contently. I guess I've made my decision. I'm definitely going to let her help me with my relationship woes.

"Hinata," I sigh, "I'm in love with Ino."

"Great. Read this, and you'll understand what you have to do."

She gestures at her copy of Rena as she gently places it on the floor by her bed. She lies down on her bunk, pulls a blanket to her neck and closes her eyes. The sun is just about to rise. Orange-red hues trickle through the cabin windows and onto volume 24 of Rune Hunter Rena. I pick it up and open the book. I start on page one.

So let's see. Rena and company are at the Fortress of the evil villain, yada yada yada. I skip a few pages. The evil henchmonkeys shoot laser beams out of their eyes, targeting the shy, blue-costumed Rune Hunter. The headstrong orange-costumed one pushes her out of the way, and begins to reprimand the blue one for not focusing. Yada yada yada, I skip a LOT more pages. Sorry Hinata, Shojo isn't my thing, but I still trust that there's something here applicable to me.

Aa. this is probably the part that Hinata wants me to read. I sit back on my bed, and begin to silently read out the speech bubbles.

"Rena, all your friends have been captured by the Shadow Council! There is no hope for you or mankind!"

"No! I will not give up, especially against you, Darkheart! I will take you down with all of my strength!"

"Ha! Such a lavish threat from a weak little girl, perhaps you will enjoy fighting my new second-in-command, instead!"

"What? Naoki!? Why are you dressed like that? Darkheart, What have you DONE to him!?"

"He's under my influence now, and there's nothing you can do to stop him! He WILL kill you under my order."

I pause for a moment. I think of previous conversations that Hinata has had with me regarding Naoki. Something about sexy bishonens, and how Rena goes all doki-doki when he's around her. I get it now. He's her love-interest that she's never had the courage to confess to directly.

It's too late now though, that Darkheart seems to have gotten him good.

"Naoki! You have to snap out of it! It's me! Rena! Don't you remember me!"

"...I serve Darkheart now."

Rena is now in tears. I can see why Hinata likes this series. The illustrator has such a great eye for detail, and his artistry brings Rena to life in a way that reaches out even to me, personally. I begin to read faster as the intensity builds. Darkheart vanishes into the shadows and awaits Rena at the top of the Tower of Destiny. Rena is alone to fight against her love, Naoki.

I turn the page. The fight scene depicted is creatively executed. Naoki is drawn with his sword in hand, locked against Rena's Rune Staff. They are both nearly in profile, with massive amounts of magical energy emanating from the tension between both weapons. The scene is slightly faded in the background, while Rena's thoughts are scattered throughout the page as the main focus.

"Naoki..."

"...as a rune hunter, I have to save the world..."

"...it is my duty..."

"...that is why I have to defeat you..."

"...I must be strong..."

"...it is the only way I can protect the one I keep in my heart..."

"...to protect you. The one I love."

The last page in the hits me hard. No text. Just a full-page panel of Rena from the back, walking away from Naoki, dead on the floor. Her world has plunged into darkness, a starless black sky looming over her war-torn figure. With Naoki's sword held tightly in her hand, his blood trickling through her fingers, she walks towards the Tower of Destiny.

This isn't the Rena that Hinata was always joking about in previous conversations with her. Rena was always described as absent-minded, hot-blooded, and an overbearing loudmouth, almost like Naruto. But somehow, with this sudden turn of events, she has found the courage inside her to fulfill her duty, and even come to terms with her own feelings for her deepest love.

The sun has gone up. The rays that shine through the cracks of the window have gone from a bluish red to a noble yellow. It hits the cover of the manga as I close it shut. I hold it close to my chest for a moment, and lay it on Hinata's bed, beside her pillow. I turn off my gamestation portable, and grab all of my stuff, and step out into the upper deck of the boat. I stand on the bottom rung of the rail of the ship's hull. The examination centre is in clear view. I know now what I must do. I must follow my ninja way. I must strive to become stronger, and become a formidable bug-user.

I will become a Jonin, so I can protect the one who I keep closest to my heart.

To protect Ino. The one I love.


	12. Exam

Both Team Eight and Team Ten arrive at the barracks just in time for the Jonin exam

A/N – Missed me? I know I did. I missed writing this fic, but somewhere along the road, university happened. And I apologize. So here is what might be the last chapter of the story. I enjoyed writing this very much, and I thank everyone who have followed the story, and waited patiently for the concluding chapter.

Disclaimer – I don't own Naruto, or any of its original characters and plots.

--

The Aburame clan is notorious for their use of bugs as weapons in combat. They have a symbiotic relationship with their destruction bugs, also known as kikai, where the shinobi provides nourishment to the kikai in the form of his or her own chakra, and the kikai serve as tools of war in return. This give and take relationship between organisms result in what is arguably the most formidable and fearsome family in all of Konoha.

- Yondaime's Guide to famous clans of Konoha

--

Both Team Eight and Team Ten arrive at the barracks just in time for the Jonin exam. Among us are a handful of other ninja units from other villages, notably the Sand. There seems to have been a renaissance in talent ever since Gaara became the Kazekage. Thinking of him now reminds me of how much I want to become a strong ninja as well, and to succeed my clan with the greatest of strength and honour. He reminds me that I must protect others that are close to me, particularly those who are with me right now.

Ino stands in front of me as she inspects a pile of brochures at a table set up at the entrance to the examination buildings. She begins to peruse through one of them.

"What are you looking at?" I ask her.

"Oh. It's an information booklet regarding the exam. I want to see if they will be doing any written component."

She seems nervous about the written exam. She was never the academic type of student, the kind who had a knack for theoretical and rhetoric when it came to the shinobi arts. She would always rely on Shikamaru to push her to her mental limits, but having studied with me for the past while, I doubt that she has the same confidence. Don't get me wrong, I consider myself a pretty learned person, but compared to Shikamaru, I don't think I'll ever assure Ino the same way he could.

We continue to converse about the written exam, trying to give pointers and such to each other. The others take notice of our isolated banter, and are quick to get our attention.

"What the heck are you guys talking about?" asks Kiba.

"The written exam," I respond.

Kiba and Shikamaru laugh. Akamaru barks agreeably, as if he were laughing as well.

"Didn't Kurenai-sensei tell you?" Shikamaru says, "We're not taking a written exam this time around."

WHAT?

"WHAT?" Ino exclaims with an irritated tone.

"Y-yeah." Hinata interjects, "While you both were off on your bug mission, Asuma-sensei told both our groups that the exam was going to be a tournament format."

I snap. "WHAT? Kurenai-sensei! Why didn't you tell me?"

Kurenai begins to sweat. "Uh, I guess we forgot?"

Ino sighs, but shrugs her anger off.

"That's ok, Shino. At least we don't have to worry about it, right?"

"I suppose."

As the group settles down on a bench outside the main examination building, I stroll away to take a breather. I wander around for a bit, until I run into Shikamaru, lazily sitting on the grass by himself, looking up at the clouds.

"Yo. Sit down, Shino."

Shikamaru's tone of voice sounds a bit more serious, even though he's usually quite relaxed in his speech. It's almost as if he anticipated my arrival. Reluctantly, I sit down beside him, leaving a subtle distance between the both of us.

"That Ino is a strange girl," He starts, "isn't she."

I nod.

"And you can say that she's quite the girly-girl, am I right?"

I shake my head in agreement, trying to hide inside my coat, behind my sunglasses. It figures that I should be having this sort of conversation with Ino's father, but with the laid-back nature that he has, I suppose it's more appropriate that it comes from Shikamaru instead.

"I'll tell you this, Shino. But don't tell Ino that I told you, because that would be troublesome."

I stare cautiously at him, awaiting the next words that would come out of his mouth.

"She's obviously crazy for you, but these exams mean more to her than anything. I'm sure they mean a lot to you too. So don't forget that. It's best that you wait until after the exams to make your move."

I remain silent, and a few seconds pass with an awkward air between the both of us. For some reason, after having hearing him say that, I'm even more motivated to confess to her than before. But at the same time, I'm reminded of what I came here to do, and I've become equally motivated to pass these exams.

"Thanks, Shikamaru." I nod at him.

He nods back, and signals me to go away. He probably likes being alone like this. He tells me to come back and go get him when the exams start.

I walk back to the group with a bit of excitement in my blood, and the kikai inside are following suit. The prospect of an opponent's chakra always gets them excited.

I see Kiba by himself, taking Akamaru for a walk before the tournament starts. I wave to him from a distance, and approach him. They seem to have stopped in front of one of the sidewalls of the tournament arena. He has a weird grin on his face as he reads a bulletin board with a bunch of papers tacked onto it.

"Shino, the tourney's about to start, eh!"

I nod as I continue to approach, and then stop right in front of them. He continues to gesture towards the bulletin board.

"I think you should look at this," Kiba says, directing my attention to one of the papers.

"It's the schedule of matches that will take place today," he explains, "and you're the first one to fight."

Initially, I beam with excitement at Kiba's words, but upon closer inspection of what he was pointing at, I can see why he was so amused.

Round 1. Aburame Shino versus Yamanaka Ino.

"So you two lovebirds are going to fight eh?" He grins idiotically, now aware that I have discovered the identity of my opponent.

In unconvincing denial, I try to reason with him that there's nothing going on between Ino and I, or at least nothing official. He laughs heartily with Akamaru, and assures me that things will work out.

"Don't sweat it, bug-boy. You're going to kick her ass. She's a girl after all."

I know that Kiba didn't mean to be sexist with that remark, and that he was just trying to calm me down. I don't know how, but it works. I don't really care, that's how it is between friends.

We continue to have our "best friend banter" as we enter the building. A huge field lies in the middle of the arena, surrounded by a multitude of seats, occupied by spectators and other tournament participants. The others are already seated among but Ino is not with them. The tournament has not yet officially started, so she must be in one of the hallways leading to the main floor.

I find her in the main lobby connecting to the centre stage. The officials and referees are with her, talking to her. As I approach them, they leave Ino and I in the lobby, making their way outside.

"So I guess we're going first then." She says.

"Yeah."

She turns quiet, staring off into the distance, in the direction of the main tournament staging area, where the officials and announcers are giving their opening speeches.

"Look, Ino," I say, deciding to go against Shikamaru's advice, "I just want to-"

"Yeah, I know." She says.

It suddenly feels really awkward. This is perhaps the first time I've been in a situation like this.

"So what, then?" I ask.

"Well," she says, smiling at me with her trademark charm, "let's wait until after I beat you. Then you can take me out to a bar afterwards! I'm in the mood for some alcohol again."

For a conversation that's supposed to be the definitive moment in our potential relationship, I find it to be a little too anti-climactic for my taste. Where's the drama? Where's the adrenaline?

All I can muster at the moment is a simple "Hn."

An official enters the room, signalling us to follow him. We walk together side by side down the narrow hall behind him. I put my hand around Ino's back, and give her a quick squeeze with my arm.

"When I beat you, Ino, drinks will be on me."

--

So here I stand in the middle of the arena. In front of me is the woman I must defeat in order to become a Jonin. She stares back at me with intent eyes. It is her defining moment as well. She must defeat me to fulfill her dream of being a superior kunoichi.

We stand in the way of each other's goals, yet we fight for each other.

I turn to my left and nod to the referee. A ninja from the sand village, he adjusts his cloak as he raises his arm to signal the beginning of the match.

"Combatants, are you both ready?"

I nod.

"Hell yes." Ino smirks, drawing her hand closer behind her back, perhaps to a pouch of concealed weapons. I follow the same.

"Begin!"

Without hesitation, I whip my hand into my cloak's breast pocket and grip the first thing that I can find. I feel the shape of a shuriken, and grasp it swiftly. With short motion I throw towards Ino, along with a kunai thrown with my other hand. They both dart towards my opponent.

Both collide with Ino's own projectiles, and they fall to the floor. Ino draws another kunai as soon as they hit, and runs to my right as she launches it towards the floor space in front of me, to prevent me from pursuing her.

I can't let her get away. I run towards her, attempting to sidestep the kunai, but notice the tag trailing behind it. I can't tell if it was an explosive device, but I can't take the gamble. I roll away from the blade as it hisses contacting the ground. It doesn't explode, but smoke begins to fill the floor around me. I get up, and take a defensive stance.

_Squad 1, radar!_

A small group of kikai hover outside of my body, and spread out in all directions. They quickly reach the walls of the arena and relay a signal back to me. The signal is weaker from the back, and I roll left in anticipation of Ino's attack. My dodge is timely, as her flying kick grazes me, and sends her rolling slightly behind me.

I turn around to face her, but the smoke from the previous tag completely envelops her from view.

Shit, I need to get out of here. I sprint out of the smokescreen as fast as I could, calling back the radar squad.

As I emerge from the cloud, the recon group arrive in reduced numbers. The others must have been slain by Ino. She understands my battle strategy well. Continuing to evade the smokescreen, I remain in an alert defensive stance, trying to anticipate Ino's next attack. I can't lose all my bugs to her, but I'm confident that she can't kill every single one.

Another tagged Kunai comes at me from my left. She's fast!

_Squad 2, clone!_

I retreat to a safer distance, watching my doppelganger take the hit. I get out of the way in time, but she probably knows right away that it's a clone. I order the squad to retreat back to me before the smokescreen is set off from the kunai.

It explodes instead. Shit! That squad is gone. I can't waste my troops like that. I roll away in recoil of the explosion, but the impact should have cleared the previously laid smokescreen. She must be hiding there! I throw a kunai at the cloud.

She nimbly jumps out of the way, and out of the smokescreen. She lands in a battle stance about a few yards in front of me. She catches her breath while her eyes remain fixated at my form on the floor. I get up quickly back into stance.

A good chunk of the stage is whittled into debris from the explosion. There's less room to manoeuvre, which is to my disadvantage. I'm going to have to stay away from her as much as I can, while I can find an opening to spring my trap.

"Ino," I say, "you are more skilled than you give yourself credit for."

She darts towards me with her right hand, with incredible speed. "Save your speech until after I beat you!"

I intercept with a rising right block. I quickly attempt to plant a female onto her hand. She withdraws her punch quickly, anticipating my plan. She comes in with another flurry of jabs and low kicks, and I match them with my own blocks.

I ward her off with a timely shove to her midsection. She stumbles back slightly, but readies into another stance. There! She's positioned perfectly for my assault!

_Squad 3, intercept!_

A modestly sized group emerge from the debris to her left and advance on her personal space. She panics and retreats with a series of back flips. She lands with kunai in her hand, and begins to assault the squad, landing successive blows without getting hit.

_Squads 4-6, intercept! Squads 7-10, position around her!_

About a third of my reserves have been withdrawn from within me. A gourd would have helped me with more insects, but my agility wouldn't be good enough to keep up with her movements. I'm going to have to make do with what I have for now. I have to make every soldier count.

Now she's on the defensive, and trying to fight her way through the initial rush, and successfully defeats squads 3 and 4. 5 and 6 come in from her side and above her. She won't survive the harassment much longer; she's going to have let them make contact.

Her movements are graceful, her strikes deadly. She musters squad 5, and struggles with 6. 7-10 are set in place for my next attack. Now's the time to finish this match.

_Squads 7-10, surround!_

Ino becomes engulfed by a giant black cloud of bugs, and with squad 6 taken care of, is now in a defenceless position. It ends now!

I perform the seals. _Horse. Ram. Monkey_.

"Secret Technique: Insect Globe!"

The cloud bunches closer towards Ino and begin to cover every part of her body. The excited hiss of my army drowns out faint noises of her struggling and gasping for air. With my signal, I can order them to consume enough chakra to disable her, but not kill her.

"Consume."

Ino drops her stance, struggling to fend off attempts to feed into her chakra. She tightens up her body, and reaches into her pouch. She removes a capsule from her pouch, and launches it down onto the underneath her. The capsule shatters, releasing a lightly coloured gas around her. Ino's body relaxes, and my bugs begin to crumble off of her body as if she were a snake shedding skin.

Just like that, my initial wave of attack is literally repelled. Ino brushes herself off, and heals off various wounds inflicted by the previous assault.

"Dammit, Shino." Ino coughs. "You're more dangerous than I gave you credit for."

Shocked by her statement, I find great difficulty evoking a response. She was creative enough to douse herself in a poison cloud just to ward off my attack. We continue to stare each other down, trying to figure out the next steps in our respective battle strategies.

Ino's too weak to mount a serious offensive, but she's still a superior close-combat fighter, and I won't be able to do any damage up close without using my bugs. If she's using the konoha standard pouch set, then she should only have 2 poison bombs left, which is more than enough to fend off my next two attacks. If I try to attack her cautiously, then I can order the bugs to retreat when she uses her bombs. They won't all survive, but it will ensure that I conserve as much as possible. If she uses her bombs on the offence, she will definitely take the advantage and defeat me easily.

I simply don't have enough reinforcements; I'm going to have to use up chakra to summon more bugs.

_Squads 11-12, protect!_

I put up a minor shield as I begin to form seals.

_Rat. Ox. Hare. Horse. Horse. Rat._

"Secret Technique: Insect Environment Summon!"

Chakra flows fast throughout my body, and is absorbed into squad 13. They withdraw from my body, and hover above the stage for a few moments until they fly away from the stadium.

11 and 12 fly out towards Ino and mount an offensive. Hopefully, they'll buy time as I get recruit more guys to work with.

Ino pulls out a pair of brass knuckles and begins to form seals of her own, and she chants her technique.

"Secret Technique: Wind Infusion!"

A large amount of chakra begins to flow through her brass knuckles, and surround it, forming a sword-like shape around Ino's left and right hand. She charges towards the bugs and begin to slice gracefully through both of them. She downs them all while maintaining her momentum. She continues to plow through them, and charges right at me afterwards!

Shit!

I jump out of her way, and she keeps going in her trajectory, hitting a pillar on one corner of the stage. It gets decimated instantly.

_Shit_.

She turns around and charges at me again. I send out consecutive waves of squads to slow her down, but she slices through them all effortlessly. She slows down just enough, however, for me to keep a respectable distance. This keeps up for a few minutes, but I soon run out of bugs, and am in a desperate position. She lunges at me, and dodge her attack. I roll onto the floor, and instantly get back up to a defensive stance. She recovers from her miss, and readies another attack. Our eyes meet again, and I can sense ruthlessness in her that I've never seen before. She looks like she is seriously going to kill me.

"Shino," Ino says, smirking. "Remember how you once said that you should save your trump card for last? Well, I'm going to use mine before you get a chance to use yours."

With barely any of my reserves left (both bug and chakra), and with Ino at the brink of exhaustion using what appears to be her trump card, I am in a position of defeat. She begins to charge, and I only have enough energy left to make one final dodge. I experience this final exchange as it were in slow motion.

She inches closer and closer to me. I close my eyes and anticipate the moment to move away.

I feel sweat running down my back. I feel something land on my shoulder.

I look to my side, and a familiar form appears before me. Another one appears on my other shoulder. The answers to my prayer arrive at the most convenient time. As she draws past the point of no return, I make my final decision to react before she commits to another move.

I roll into her.

She is caught off-guard by my sudden movement, and our bodies impact with each other with incredible force. It doesn't hurt much from my vantage point, but the wind is knocked out of me. Ino falls over me with great velocity, and smashes into the floor, losing grip of her brass knuckles. She lays a short distance away from me, disarmed from her chakra blades. With the next move, I can end the match. Still doubled on the floor, I make my seals.

_Dog. Boar. Monkey. Dog._

"Secret Technique: Pheromone Sedation."

The saffron-coloured bugs, still on my shoulder hover above the bodies of Ino and I, and perform an all-too-similar act of spraying over the both of us. In our weakened state, the full effects of the attack take hold. I begin to feel a familiar fuzzy sensation. However, I can't move anymore. Is this it? Is this the end of my journey to being the great successor to the Aburame clan? I stare across the floor at Ino, belly up a few feet away. She lazily shakes her head, and slowly brings herself up into a sitting position. Having used those chakra knives must have drained most of her chakra as well.

Disoriented, she stands up. Ino begins to stumble towards my immobile body. She can still land a finishing blow if she has enough energy left in her. She groggily looks down at me, and collapses down to her hands and knees. The arena is dead silent. She crawls towards me, and brings her face toward mine.

"Great match, Shino."

She kisses me on the lips, and passes out. I black out shortly after.

I guess we'll be splitting the drinks afterwards.

--

A/N - Well, there you have it. Symbiosis is finished! For sure though, I'll officially finish the story with an epilogue that will formally end the fic. Again, thanks a bunch for reading! Hope to see you around!


	13. Conclusion

Disclaimer – I do not own the Naruto franchise or its original story and plot.

--

EPILOGUE – Konoha mission #34501A – Attempted Revival of Endangered Species Septempunctata saffronica

Team Leader: Aburame Shino

Team Members: Yamanaka Ino

Mission Objective:

Obtain one male and one female of the species _Septempunctata saffronica_, and successfully rear offspring for population restoration purposes. Secondary objective includes observation of mating and reproductive behaviours, and to write a report for the Konohan library archives for later reference and study.

Mission Background:

_Septempunctata saffronica_, also known as the Konohan yellow ladybug, is an endangered species native to some meadows and grasslands surrounding the village of Konoha. It was once a flourishing species whose unique mating rituals were observed annually, but due to the use of Kimimaro Kaguya's Sawarabi no Mai, or "Dance of the seedling fern" technique during his fight with Sabaku no Gaara, the resulting bone forest wiped out the entire meadow habitat, home to most of the species. It is believed that there are other smaller satellite populations of this species scattered throughout Fire Country. This mission is an annual attempt to restore the population.

Mission Report:

As necessary as it is to provide mission reports for all documented missions (even D-ranked ones, which are _supposed _to be handled by the Hokage's office staff), there is not a lot of significant information regarding the success of the mission. Two specimens of S. saffronica were obtained within the village of Konoha. The female specimen was discovered on the shoulder of leader Aburame Shino. The male specimen was discovered shortly after, making impact with Aburame Shino's forehead. After lengthy pursuit, both were obtained for the purposes of mating and repopulation. After an unorthodox negotiation process, the specimens were to be kept safe by newly recruited member, Yamanaka Ino within her family's flower shop. Both team members were allowed to participate in activities outside of the mission, such as preparation for their respective Jonin-rank examinations. A daily routine of visiting the Yamanaka Flower Shop, documenting the progress of the two specimens, and miscellaneous tasks contributing to the success of the mission, such as maintenance of breeding environment conditions, was established for 3 weeks leading up to the completion of the mission.

For the duration of the mission, the courting process of the two specimens was documented, and several attempts to speed up the process were considered. At 3 weeks and 3 days since the start of the mission, the specimens were able to mate successfully. The process took place on Yamanaka Ino's back, and lasted for 2 hours and 13 minutes. After careful documentation of the mating process, the specimens were released outside of the gates of Konoha.

Mission Status: Complete

Casualties: None

Related Expenses: Replacement costs for various furniture of the Yamanaka Flower Shop, valued at approximately 200 dollars. Forced usage of restaurant and bar facilities, valued at approximately 150 dollars. Intellectual rights compensation for the main characters of Icha Icha Paradise volume IV, valued at approximately 24,000 dollars in royalties. Broken lamp, property of the Hokage's office, valued at approximately 50 dollars.

Other Notes: Attached with this report is full documentation of the courtship and mating processes of S. saffronica, for use of the archives of the Library of Konoha.

--

I roll up the scroll containing the mission report, and look at the clock on the wall of the room. It's 1:32am. I skipped an entire evening of relaxation at the hot springs outside. Even though Kurenai-sensei and Asuma-sensei have treated their pupils to a nice resort on the way back from exams, I suppose I can wait until tomorrow to recover from my minor injuries. I'll have time to organize my "official documentation" of the ladybug information later. As awkward as it may be, taking notes regarding the courtship process of those insects have been quite an eye-opener, and have taught me a great deal about the intricacies of male-female interrelations. That's quite a statement, considering that the closest thing to relationship advice came from Kurenai-sensei, and maybe the "birds and the bees" talk that my parents gave to me a long time ago.

As weird as it is, it got the job done. The exams are over, and tomorrow evening, I'll be heading home from wave country with my teammates, and alongside them, I'll be reporting to Tsunade-sama as a full-fledged Jonin ranked ninja. Hopefully, I'll be able to do a few missions alongside Ino, who also passed the exam. Even though neither of us made it through to the next round in the tournament, we had one hell of a fight, warranting more than reasonable grounds for promotion.

"Shino-kun," pleads a pleasantly familiar voice. "Put down those papers and watch some TV with me!"

Ino gestures at an empty couch cushion beside her, smiling suggestively at me. As much as I want to make sure that our mission is taken care of fully, it's extremely difficult to say no to her, particularly with those silk indigo pyjamas she's wearing, tightly hugging her body, outlining her slender shape, revealing a teasing portion of her midriff. There's no harm in watching a movie with her; we can always catch up on our sleep on the boat ride home.

"Ok, Ino…-chan. I just have to put these reports away."

She smiles at my attempt to use a more personal honorific. Maybe a pet name would have been better. Regardless, her smile fades into a sneer of disapproval.

"I can't wait much longer, Shino. Don't make me force you to sit down."

She forms a unique seal with her hands, and aims her seal at my face.

_Mind Transfer Technique!_

I lose feeling of my body, and consciousness fades out, only to fade back in with my body in a sitting position on the couch, with my arm around Ino's shoulder, watching the Rune Hunter Rena live action movie. Two glasses of _haiku martunia _are portioned out on a glass coffee table in front of us. For some reason, I'm not wearing my hooded jacket or sunglasses. Despite keeping an eye out for her signature jutsu during the exam, I wonder how ended up falling for her attack in this room of all places.

It doesn't matter, really. Ino turns to me with a sensual glance, sending chills down my thundering loins. Damn right, my loins. My mind melts into mush trying to find fitting words to help the mood, but somehow I can't help but feel that this will be the only moment in our entire relationship that I can get away with saying what I quickly and impulsively decide to say.

I stare back into her seductive eyes with my own. I whisper naughtily into her ear.

_"Become mine. I'll rock you senseless."_

Kurenai would be so proud of me.

--

It's officially over! Everyone passed, they end up together, they officially conclude their mission. They make such a good couple, don't they? I love Ino-Shino.

This will probably be it for me with long chapter-based stories. After a few years tinkering with ffnet, I've developed a penchant for writing shorter, but reasonably detailed one-shots. I'll probably continue to make edits to this story as I see fit, since there are a bunch of details from earlier chapters that I want to fix (particularly because I was very new to fanfiction when this story first started). So with that aside, I sincerely hope you all enjoyed the story, and keep an eye out for future one-shots!

Peace,

krizzlybear


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